A one-legged man in Iloilo who could not afford to buy a prosthetic leg built his own prosthesis using bamboo.
The photo of Darius Senillo riding a jeep somewhere in Pavia touched the hearts of many netizens. Senillo was also born with only one hand.
The uploader of the viral photo, Ituriaga Gallego said Senillo came from a low-income family so he cannot afford to buy prosthesis. Senillo has seven siblings he relied on for food and medicine.
Darius struggled to use crutches before since he has no left arm. He experienced bullying because he cannot walk, so he thought of making his artificial leg out of bamboo.
Using his bamboo prosthesis, he can now walk and even commute to go around the town.
His photo caught the attention of more than 10,000 netizens, and his story was shared over 2,000 times.
In the Philippines, an artificial limb can cost from $3,000 (P150,000) to $9,000 (P 450,000) depending on the material used.
Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth), the country’s universal health coverage provider, offers Z-MORPH (Mobility, Orthosis, Rehabilitation, Prosthesis Help) packages.
They offer P15,000 assistance for first right and/or left below the knee prosthesis while P 30,000 for both limbs.
Meanwhile, Keio Fellow Yutaka Tokushima introduced 3D-Printed Prosthetic Solutions in the Philippines last year.