WATCH US ON I-WITNESS

The organization has recently been busy shooting for the documentary episode of I- witness on channel 7. This has been a major publicity for the organization. Aside form that, we will be able to reach millions of people in letting them know the existence of Tourette Syndrome in the Philippines and that there is actually an organization which can help them undergo the necessary steps and information about Tourette Syndrome.

So please help us advocate for Tourette Syndrome, watch us on I-Witness on May 5, Monday after Saksi on Channel 7 for a documentary on Tourette Syndrome.

FOUNDERS

MARIA ROWENA BALMORES- VICTORINO, M.Ed., RN, BSN, CRN

Weng as everybody calls her, is one of the founders of the Philippine Tourette Syndrome Association. She had been doing formal research about Tourette Syndrome even before her interest in forming the organization. She is a registered nurse by profession with hemodialysis as specialization and currently working in a US Dialysis Company in the Philippines. She graduated her Bachelor of Science in Nursing in the University of Santo Tomas in 1999, took her Masters Degree in Education in the University of the Philippines and graduated in 2008.

Weng's interest to form the organization started when symptoms of TS had been observed from a family member. Emphatizing with the difficulty that a person with TS has to face in everyday of his life, Weng saw the need to make people aware of the disorder. Hence, eversince the formation of the organization, Weng hasn't stop working on her advocacy for Tourette Syndrome in the Philippines. She continued to talk about it in seminars, proposed TS to be exposed in media and worked all the way thru developing materials for information dissemination. Truly this has been a very remarkable experience for somebody whose caring profession as a registered nurse had been stretched out for a lifetime community service for people with Tourette Syndrome.



MARLON BARNUEVO


Marlon is the co- founder of the organization. He earned his bachelor's degree in Industrial Design from DLSU- College of St. Benilde in 2000. Armed with nothing but a student's design portfolio, he landed on his first job as designer at Duane Quintal Associates, where he had the rare opportunity of working with one of the Philippine's pioneer in the ID profession and renowned Corporate Identity Designer, the late Duane Quintal Sr. He was eventually promoted as Senior Designer until his resignation in 2004, when he decided to pursue a career in music with his band, 3rd Avenue.

Marlon's interest in taking part of the formation of the organization is basically rooted from the fact that TS had been his companion for the longest time. Although he had a lot of difficulties with the disorder, this hadn't stopped him from pursuing what he liked best----music. In fact, he had become the icon of the organization for success and been inspiring children with TS to be functional individuals and be successful in all of their endeavors in life.

PHILIPPINE TOURETTE SYNDROME ASSOCIATION: Our Mission

The zealous pursuit of the vision is through PTSA’s allegiance to continuously:
•Muster small and large sectors of support for the PWTS;
•Foster the PWTS in all aspects of their development to become not only functional individuals but also functional individuals in society
•Carry out seminars and workshops on updated information on Tourette Syndrome especially program development and treatment/ management of the disorder from different disciplines (medicine, education, counseling, psychology) including teaching strategies and parenting
•Bridge the gap of different disciplines (medicine, education, counseling and psychology) in order to develop and administer more appropriate and relevant programs specifically designed for PWTS
•Promote research on Tourette Syndrome in the Philippines from all disciplines (medicine, education, counseling and psychology)

PHILIPPINE TOURETTE SYNDROME ASSOCIATION: Our Vision

PTSA shall always be a leader in advocating the PWTS, their families and significant others to fully understand Tourette Syndrome as a disorder and be able to give them opportunities and help them achieve their optimum development to function not only as individuals but individuals in the society.

PHILIPPINE TOURETTE SYNDROME ASSOCIATION: What is PTSA?

The Philippine Tourette Syndrome Association (PTSA) is the first and only non-profit, non- stock organization about Tourette Syndrome based in the Philippines. It is an association of (1) professionals from the field of medicine, counseling, education and psychology and (2) lay persons particularly the individuals diagnosed with the disorder, their parents, relatives and significant others.
Originally organized in February 16, 2007 as a “Tourette Syndrome Core Group” and registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission on April, 2008 as Philippine Tourette Syndrome Association (PTSA). The organization was made because of a common goal to address the specific needs of the” Persons with Tourette Syndrome “ (PWTS) and be able to help them recognize their inherent capabilities in coping with the disorder better and develop their full potentials to become successful individuals in their own little way.
PTSA recognizes the significance of nurturing this special group as part of the Philippine’s society noting that many Filipinos are unaware of the existence of the disorder in the country. Furthermore, misconceptions about the disorder are a frequent occurrence. With PTSA’s efforts to disseminate information about the disorder will enable replacement of those misconceptions with reliable facts from the most recent literature on Tourette Syndrome not only from the Philippines but from resources all over the world.
PTSA as an organization is powered by its human workforce of professional experts with a wide array of experiences in various disciplines that are needed to suit the needs of the PWTS. This workforce makes the organization dynamic as it is multi-faceted in nature.