MANILA, Philippines – A cake would have been enough for Jacqueline Castro as she turned 18 in the middle of the Palarong Pambansa.

But the para swimmer from Pangasinan got to celebrate with a surprise debut party arranged by her fellow delegates from Ilocos Region at their billeting quarter in San Roque Elementary School in Marikina on Wednesday, August 2.

“I’m super grateful because I didn’t expect it,” said Castro, a graduating student from Pangalangan National High School, in a mix of Filipino and English.

“I thought they were just going to buy me a cake.”

Treated like a princess on her special day, Castro received flowers from athletes and officials and danced with them on stage.

“I’ll remember this for life,” Castro said.

It could not have been a better Palarong Pambansa experience for Castro as she won gold medals a day before and a day after her birthday.

Competing under the intellectual disability category, Castro ruled the girls’ 50m backstroke on Tuesday and topped the 50m freestyle on Thursday for a pair of mints.

She also bagged a 50m breaststroke silver on Wednesday.

“I’m extremely happy because it is my first time [winning gold]. Not everyone wins a medal in the Palarong Pambansa,” Castro said.

Castro, who started out in athletics before she switched to swimming, said para athletes can excel in sports just like their able-bodied counterparts.

“There are some who look down on people with disabilities but they do not know that those with disabilities can compete in this Palaro,” she said. – Rappler.com