THE Autism Society of the Philippines made its attempt to be recognized as the world’s biggest gathering of winged individuals with its “Angels Walk for Autism 2015” at the SM MOA Arena in Pasay City on Sunday.

“We are vying for the most number of people with wings which stands at only 1,200,” ASP president Malou Magno Veluz said. 

Walk for autism. Autistic people with angels’ wings parade at the Mall of Asia Arena on Sunday to celebrate “Angels Walk for Autism 2015.”

“I think we already beat the record of only 1,200 because of the overwhelming attendance.”

Veluz said the contingent alone from Cavite, the largest winged group, was more than enough to beat the existing record.

She said they had in attendance 25 chapters nationwide, and that their chapters from Luzon and the Visayas had worked to make their wings for several months to vie for the world record.

She said the Angels Walk had come a long way since they started in 2007 with only a few hundred attendees in Roxas Boulevard in Manila.

“When we started, we only had a few hundred walkers. Last year, during ASP’s 25th anniversary, we filled the MOA Arena to the rafters,” Veluz said.

“This year we have around 12,000 in attendance, and we hope to set the world record for the largest group of winged angels.”

Sunday’s event kicked off the National  Autism Consciousness Week, which has various activities for the entire week.

Donning an angel’s wings, SM Prime Holdings Inc. President Hans Sy  led an estimated 12,000 participants, including people with autism and their families in marching around the MOA complex.

Carmel Almendrala, a member of the ASP’s board of trustees, said the annual gathering intended to raise consciousness on the autism disability as global statistics had projected one million autism cases in the Philippines.

From left, Bien Mateo, chairman of the SM Program on Disability Affairs, Hans Sy, president of SM Prime Holdings Inc., and Autism Society of the Philippines president Mona Magno Veluz join the parade. Sonny Espiritu

Records from the Center for Disease Control based in the United States showed that from 500,000 cases of people with autism spectrum disorders o ASD listed in 2008, the figure was now 1 in 100 or one million people having this condition nationwide.

Almendrala said the ASP, which started with only 11 mother-members 26 years ago, was in the forefront of doing this thing.

But the ASP, now  with 10,000 members from 72 chapters across the nation, said the yearly get-together aimed not only to raise awareness on autism but also to advocate disability inclusion in society.

After the walk, more than half of the participants were  treated to a show featuring children with autism.

The Angels Walk has been conducted in partnership with SM Cares, the corporate social responsibility arm of SM Supermalls, since 2009.

Asp chairwoman emeritus Dang Koe said they were extremely thankful to SM for accommodating their cause.

“We cannot thank SM and SM Cares enough because through the years, they have never gotten tired  of being our partners,” Koe said.

She said SM and its many malls and stores had become the most autism-friendly establishment.

“We can say that SM is the most autism friendly center in all of the Philippines,” Koe said.

Bien Mateo, SM’s vice president for operations and head of the SM Disability Program, said SM shared the same advocacy with ASP.