Manila: Newsted Jason Lauron steadied his breath on the boat's edge, preparing to leap into the deep. A little over a year after cancer claimed his left leg, the 27-year-old father was about to make his first scuba dive. Lauron was a participant in No Barrier 4: A Discovery Dive for Persons with Disabilities, an event advocating for ocean cleanup and inclusion, organized by the Philippine Accessible Disability Services Inc. (PADS).
According to Philippines News Agency, navigating the sea was never part of Lauron's post-amputation plan. "When Sir JP invited me to try scuba diving, I hesitated at first because I became afraid of swimming in the sea after my amputation. My family was also hesitant and worried that I might drown," Lauron said in Filipino. Sir JP is PADS founder John Paul Maunes, who encouraged him to take the plunge. The experience, Lauron said, was life-changing.
"It is very important and a great help for PWDs like me to be given these kinds of opportunities," he said. "It helps restore our confidence." Lauron's story is at the heart of PADS's mission. Founded by Maunes in 2005 to honor a deaf best friend, the organization's focus sharpened in 2016 when Maunes joined the United States' Global Sports Mentoring Program. That experience cemented PADS's vision: Building a disability-inclusive society through adaptive sports, diplomacy and community rehabilitation.
The results are tangible. In 2022, the PADS Dragon Boat Team, the country's first cross-disability adaptive team, won a world championship in Florida. In late 2025, four PADS youth athletes traveled to the US for an adaptive sports exchange program. Christine Mae Garces, who has an orthopedic knee disability, was among them. "Being part of the US 2025 sports exchange program changed my perspective," Garces said. "I've been to new places, which made me realize that even when you go through a sudden downfall, there are still a lot more reasons why you should keep going."
For Maunes, a 41-year-old father of three raised alongside family members with disabilities, the work is personal. A childhood illness led doctors to tell him he would never play sports again, a prognosis overturned by the encouragement of his best friend.
