Stricken by polio at the age of five and coming from one of the poorest communities in the country, Bernardo did not allow his physical or financial challenges to conquer him. Despite not having a formal elementary and high school education, he displayed unparalleled tenacity in pursuing a college degree, and graduating with a BS in Psychology from the Trinity University of Asia. Shortly after graduation, Rex was hired by Trinity to serve as coordinator of their Disabled Enablement and Empowerment Program (DEEP). This program was responsible for Trinity College receiving recognition as the Philippines’s “1st Disabled Friendly School”.
Eager to pursue further studies, Bernardo completed his master’s degree in management at Trinity University of Asia, and then went on to take another postgraduate degree in Human Resource Management at the University of Sydney through a scholarship grant from AusAID. Following his stint in Australia, he then received an ADB scholarship to take the MDM program at AIM.
To fulfill his promise of utilizing his education for the good of his province mates, Bernardo went back to Daet, Camarines Norte after graduating from AIM. He is currently the Research and Marketing Director of Mabini Colleges and also teaches in its College of Business Administration. Bernardo has consistently rendered outstanding voluntary service to the community and is active as area coordinator of the Alyansa ng may Kapansanan sa Pilipinas (National Alliance of Filipinos with Disabilities), and as head of the Provincial Council on Disability Affairs (PCDA). Under his leadership, he organized the 1st Jesse Robredo Youth Leadership Seminar, the 1st Social Enterprise Livelihood Award (SELA) for PWDs, the 1st Kabataang EntrePINOY Challenge for business students, and has helped build communities in Gawad Kalinga, provided assistance to the poorest of the poor through church activities, and manages a scholarship program for hundreds of poor but deserving students.
His exemplary contribution to society have been recognized by national and international award-giving bodies. These awards include the 2011 Young Global Leader (World Economic Forum), 2011 MDG Warrior (UNDP Philippine Millenium Campaign), 2010 Bayaning Filipino (ABS-CBN Geny Lopez Foundation), 2009 Ten Outstanding Young Persons of the World (JCI World), 2008 The Outstanding Young Men of the Philippines (JCI Phil.), and the 2008 Apolinario Mabini Presidential Award.
Source:
Rex Bernardo, MDM 2002. Retrieved from http://aimalumni.org/triple-a-award/triple-a-awardees/2013-2/rex-bernardo-mdm-2002/
