Buong pagmamalaking nag-post ang De La Salle University (DLSU) tungkol sa estudyante nitong si Juan Alfonzo “Japonz” Dacumos—na nagtapos bilang summa cum laude.
Si Japonz, na nakatanggap na pinakamataas na Latin honors, ay estudyante ng Bachelor of Arts in Psychology.
Inilabas ng DLSU Department of Psychology ang post sa Facebook noong July 8, 2025.
Kalakip nito ang video ng highlights ng speech ni Japonz nang ganapin ang 202nd Commencement Exercises ng unibersidad.
Pero hindi lang ito ang rason kung bakit naging pambihira ang kuwento ni Japonz.
Parte ng post ng DLSU, si Japonz “has made history by earning the highest academic honor, summa cum laude, and proudly identifying as a person with autism.”
Nakasaad pa sa post: “His journey through university life is not only a story of academic excellence but also a powerful reflection of acceptance, inclusion, and self-empowerment.”
Sa speech ni Japonz, in-acknowledge niya ang malaking tulong ng kanyang unibersidad para mag-excel siya sa pag-aaral.
Sabi pa sa DLSU post: “Through the support of classmates, faculty, and staff who saw his strengths rather than his diagnosis, he developed the confidence to embrace his neurodivergence as an integral part of his identity.
“For Japonz, autism is not something to overcome; it coexists with the best version of himself.”
Ang kuwento raw ni Japonz ay isang “celebration of neurodiversity and a reminder that inclusive environments unlock human potential.”
Ayon sa WebMD, ang autism, na tinatawag ding Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), ay isang “complex developmental condition that affects how people interact, communicate, learn, and behave.
“People with ASD have differences in their brain function that can impact their behavior and social interactions.”
Sa ipinost na video, sinabi ni Japonz na ang tingin ng society sa mga tulad niya ay hindi magtatagumpay.
Ibinahagi rin niya kung paano nagma-manifest ang kanyang kondisyon.
"I had the tendency to walk away from conversations in the middle of them without any real cue or in inappropriate times.
"Anywhere else, I would have been scolded and instructed to correct it."
Pero hindi raw ipinaramdam iyon kay Japonz ng mga kaklase.
Aniya, "You saw a difference. A difference that never made me inferior or less capable."
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JAPONZ RECOUNTS how he triumphed
Sa kanyang Facebook page, ibinahagi ni Japonz ang kanyang personal story tungkol sa pagkakaroon ng autism.
Hindi raw lingid sa kanya ang stigma pagdating sa mga neurodiverse people sa Pilipinas dahil isang Developmental Pediatrician ang kanyang ina.
Saksi raw mismo si Japonz sa hindi magandang trato sa mga taong may kondisyon na katulad sa kanya.
"I’ve witnessed peers overwhelm and aggravate neurodiverse classmates just for a laugh.
“I heard stories of parents’ fury directed at clinicians when their child is diagnosed.
“I saw caretakers deny every possible flag due to fears of stigma towards them and their child.
"I noticed people treat Autism as caveats to an otherwise ‘okay’ candidate, playmate, employee, etc.”
Naibahagi rin ni Japonz na hindi siya nakitaan ng mga sintomas habang lumalaki siya.
Kaya naging malaking dagok daw sa kanyang ina nung nalaman ang kondisyon niya.
“When I was diagnosed with Autism in my late teens, the plan my clinicians, family, and I followed was to keep it confidential as much as possible.”
Natakot daw sila para kay Japonz na baka hindi ito mabigyan ng pantay na treatment, tulad sa isang regular na bata.
“That prospect scared us, we were afraid that I won’t get my time in the sun,” aniya.
Itinago raw ni Japonz ang kanyang kondisyon nang may nararamdamang pangamba.
Pero nagbago raw ang pananaw niya pagtuntong niya sa kolehiyo.
Mensahe niya sa kanyang Alma Mater: “You did not only make me believe that there should be an accepting world for neurodiverse people.
“You made me believe that there can be an accepting world for neurodiverse people.”
Pinasalamatan ni Japonz ang mga taong tumulong sa kanya para marating ang anumang tagumpay na tinatamasa niya ngayon.
Kabilang dito ang kanyang kasintahan, mga kaibigan, mga doktor, mga naging teachers, ang kanilang school department, at mga organizations.
Sa huli, pinasalamatan niya ang kanyang kapatid, ang amang naging “safety net” ng kanilang pamilya, at ina “who didn’t see a patient [in me].”
Ang mensahe niya sa ilaw ng kanilang tahanan: “It confirmed to me that you saw me as your son and not as your patient.”
Hindi niya nakalimutan ang mga taong nakasalamuha niya sa DLSU: “To everyone, thank you for helping an Autistic boy who felt suffocated by societal limits become an Autistic Autism Researcher on the radar of massive institutions and research teams. You gave me my time in the sun.”
Tinapos niya ang post with a personal mission: “The job’s not done.
“There’s so many Autistic kids out there who feel the restraints of pessimistic expectations, dismissive sentiments, and unaccepting environments.”
Umaasa siyang mas magiging mabait ang komunidad sa mga tulad niya.
“A better future where neurodiverse individuals can embrace their conditions free from pessimism.
“Maybe one day, we won’t need to constantly remind the world that we can become the people we want to be.”