About

Intro

PADI is a non stock /non profit organization composed of deaf persons, residing in the Philippines.

The Philippine Association of the Deaf was founded on October 17, 1926 by Mr. Pedro M. Santos, the first deaf Filipino student pensionado to the United States. It was established in Guipit Street, Sampaloc, Manila. It became a corporate body in 1939 operating a combination of sari-sari store and sewing shop.

After a period of inactivity due to war damages the Association was revived in 1950 with funds obtained from war damage claims and from the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes to operate a printing press. With additional funding from the Community Chest Foundation of Greater Manila, it opened a sari-sari store and carpentry shop in Misericordia Street in Sta. Cruz, Manila.

In 1951 the Association transferred to 17 N. Domingo Street in San Juan, Rizal, to run a nursery and Literacy Adult class.

The Association was reincorporated in 1956 with the Securities and Exchange Commission and in 1957 started to accept hearing members of the Board of Directors. It elected the first hearing President of the Association in 1960.

In 1969 the Association opened the PAD Coffee Shop at Rizal Park, Luneta, Manila, through the effort of Commissioner Pablo C. Mariano and his wife, Mrs. Barbara Mariano, with the support of Mr. Teodoro F. Valencia, NPDC Park Chairman.

The Association moved to a new building under the generous support of former First Lady Imelda Marcos on a property sub-leased from the Ayala Group in San Antonio Village, Makati in 1973 and developed programs in Education, Social and Medical Services as well as Vocational Rehabilitation. It put up a poultry and piggery farm in Novaliches, Caloocan City.

On its Golden Anniversary in 1976 it sponsored the First Asian Conference on Deafness, attended by delegates from Asia and the President of the World Federation of the Deaf.

Government recognition of the PAD Education programs was granted up to Grade VI in 1977 and in 1978 the PAD Parent Teachers Club was formed

In 1979 a Secretariat was organized to supervise the Education, Social Services, Vocational, Food Services, Catering Services, Farm, Public Information, and Interpreting Service Center.

The High School Department of the PAD Demonstration School was established in 1982 and the Association was given accreditation by the Department of Social Services and Development in 1988.

The PAD Demonstration School Building was demolished in 2008 after the cancellation of the Mother Lease Contract in 2006 and the termination of the Contract of Sub-lease.

The corporate life of the Association was extended for another 50 years in 2008 under the initiative of Mr. Eduardo M. Ortiz, who became the President of the Association from 2008 until his untimely death in September 2015. A month prior to the death of Mr. Ortiz, the Association moved to its new office in Room 209, Hillcrest Condominium, 1616 E. Rodriguez Sr. Avenue, Cubao, Quezon City.