Bata pa lang si Clarence Nayve ng Pio Duran, Albay, ay alam na niyang mauuwi siya sa pagkabulag.
Ramdam na niya ang mga senyales.
May nakapagkuwento sa kanya na noong sanggol pa lang, umiiwas siya sa liwanag.
Lagi rin daw siyang nakasubsob sa dibdib ng ina kapag inilalabas siya sa kanilang bahay.
Walang tigil sa pagluluha ang kanyang mga mata.
Bukod pa rito ang pagkakaroon niya ng palagiang sipon.
Nang ipasuri sa Rizal Medical Center, sinabi ng mga doktor na si Clarence ay may congenital glaucoma, isang rare and serious defect na pinipigilan ang mga matang matuyuan ng fluids.
Kung hindi magagamot, magiging sanhi ito ng pagkabulag.
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SERIES OF EYE PROCEDURES FOR CLARENCE NAYVE
Para mailigtas ang mga paningin ni Clarence, bago pa man natutong magsalita ay sumailalim na siya sa eye surgery.
Isa lang ito sa maraming eye procedures na kanyang pinagdaanan.
Pagsapit ng pitong taong gulang, muli siyang inoperahan.
Pagbabahagi ni Clarence sa panayam ng Philippine News Agency last July 5, 2025: "I remember I had to temporarily stop attending first grade because I had to undergo a series of crucial eye surgeries at the Philippine General Hospital.
“My family told me that the doctors implanted some kind of tubes inside my eyes to help with my condition."
Pansamantala, gumanda ang paningin ni Clarence.
"After the procedures, my eyes were in relatively good condition.
“The light sensitivity, involuntary tearing and runny nose were gone.
“I was able to return to school in Bicol and live like most ordinary boys."
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CLARENCE NAYVE IS GOOD IN ACADEMICS AND SPORTS
Nang magsimulang mag-aral, hindi nakaiwas si Clarence sa panunukso ng mga kaklase sa kanyang mga mata.
Pero kahanga-hanga ang husay niya sa academics at maging sa sports.
Consistent honor student siya mula primary hanggang secondary.
Magaling din siyang maglaro ng basketball at chess.
Sa kasamaang palad, ang sobrang hilig niya sa basketball ang naging mitsa ng muli niyang pagkabulag.
"Because of my poor vision, I often couldn’t see the ball coming, and it would frequently hit me in the eye.
“The trauma must have damaged the implanted tubes in my eyes."
Hindi biglaan ang pagkawala ng kanyang paningin.
Unti-unti raw nangyari iyon.
Ani Clarence: "The last time I saw a sliver of light was in November 2017.
“I was 16 years old then."
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CLARENCE NAYVE GRADUATED MAGNA CUM LAUDE
Twenty-three years old na ngayon si Clarence.
Last June 25, 2025 ay nagtapos siya ng Bachelor of Arts in Literature sa Bicol University (BU), Legazpi City, bilang magna cum laude.
Sa kanyang pagtatapos, nagbalik-tanaw si Clarence sa kanyang naging journey.
Siya ang pinakamatanda sa apat na magkakapatid.
Construction worker ang kanyang ama at homemaker ang kanyang ina.
Nang magkokolehiyo na si Clarence, ang plano sana ng kanyang mga magulang ay maghanap ng kolehiyo sa Maynila na nagke-cater sa mga Persons With Disabilities (PWDs).
Inisip ng mga ito noon na mahihirapan siyang magkolehiyo dahil sa kanyang sitwasyon.
Pinili niyang mag-aral sa Bicol.
Nang makapasa sa entrance exam sa BU noong 2021, naging determinado siyang tapusin ang Literature course.
Malaki kasi ang naging impluwensiya sa kanya ng isang kaibigang iminulat siya sa mundo ng panitikan.
Ang kawalan ng karanasan sa paggamit ng computers ang isa sa pinakamalaking pagsubok na kanyang pinagdaanan.
Nahirapan siyang mag-navigate sa iba’t ibang platforms kapag online classes.
Struggle din sa kanya ang pagpo-format sa documents at paggawa ng presentation slides.
Pero nalampasan niya ang lahat ng ito.
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CLARENCE NAYVE IS AN ACTIVE PARTICIPANT IN CLASS
Para kay Clarence, ang kanyang tagumpay ay naging posible dahil sa suporta ng mga taong nakapaligid sa kanya.
Naging conducive din ang learning environment ng kanilang unibersidad.
Ang college professor ni Clarence na si Aleta Amador ay pawang papuri ang mga salita para sa kanya: "He was an active participant in class, providing thoughtful insights during recitations and written assessments.
“He did not seek special consideration and consistently submitted his requirements on time."
Isinalarawan naman si Clarence ng kaklaseng si Revis Lapida na isang taong uhaw sa karunungan.
Kuwento ni Revis: "If you asked him about history or world news, he was always updated and eager to share his knowledge and opinions.
“He was also very down-to-earth and had deep thoughts. Since we were all trained in critical thinking, his analysis always stood out in class.
“He consistently brought something new to the table."
Dagdag ni Prof. Amador, lagi ring handang tumulong ang mga kaklase ni Clarence.
"I noticed a strong sense of community among them, whether it was helping him write down his thoughts or supporting him with personal necessities."
Susog naman ni Revis: "We literally served as Clar’s eyes, but he never made us feel that he had a disability.
"There was this one instance when we were making a film, and I was the project manager. He was our head writer.
“He wrote an entire 30-plus page script using just his phone.
“And I don’t remember him ever complaining about the task assigned to him. He really doesn’t like special treatment."
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CLARENCE NAYVE’S TAKE ON “BENEVOLENT ABLEISM”
Sa kanyang pagsuong sa mundo ng panitikan, may isang pakiusap si Clarence.
Aniya, dapat mawala na sa lipunan ang “benevolent ableism," na tumutugon sa isang anyo ng diskriminasyon laban sa PWDs.
Pinagmumukha nitong positibo o maganda ang intensiyon, pero mas ipinamumukha na hindi kayang kumilos nang mag-isa ang mga PWDs.
Para kay Clarence: "I call it being concerned in disguise.
"For example, there have been times when my mother or friend would accompany me to an appointment, such as claiming documents.
“And instead of addressing me directly, the staff would direct their questions to my companion.
“They would ask, 'How old is he? What does he need? What is this for?'"
Pagbibigay-diin niya: "People often act as if we can’t speak for ourselves.
“Yes, a part of our bodies may be disabled, but that doesn’t mean we can’t live and act like a normal person."
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CLARENCE NAYVE HOPES PWDS WILL BE RECOGNIZED BECAUSE OF THEIR TRUE POTENTIAL
Laganap na aniya ngayon ang salitang inclusivity, pero para kay Clarence, dapat itong isagawa hindi bilang simbolismo lang.
"My success story is probably not rare, and it is great to know that many of my fellow PWD are striving to break physical constraints.
"However, our efforts will just remain hollow and cliché Cinderella stories if society just focuses solely on the one part of us that is disabled, rather than the many parts that are fully capable."
Hindi raw kailangang ipareha ang mga salitang "despite" sa "disability" kapag pinag-uusapan ang achievements ng PWDs.
Hangad niya ang isang lipunan na ang tagumpay ng PWDs ay hindi lang ituturing na exceptions, kundi isang lantay na pagpapakita ng kanilang tunay na kakayahan.
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Ang artikulong ito ay hango mula sa Philippine News Agency, at may pahintulot mula sa writer na si Gladys Serafica at maging kay Clarence Nayve.