Alexander “Miggy” Bautista: a Future Shaper
About 2 years ago, Startup Campus South Korea, Assist Asia, and Benilde HiFi organized an innovation bootcamp for young innovators from the Philippines and South Korea. As part of HiFi, I was given a mentoring role. I was assigned a team called Accessiwheels. It was a project that aimed to provide wheelchair users, and other PWDs transportation that’s fit for their needs. I was excited at the idea, and was even more excited to know that the project was headed by a man who was a wheelchair user himself. And so I exchanged a series of emails with him and scheduled a consultation meet at UP Diliman.
When I arrived in UP, we agreed to meet on the covered walk way beside the Mathematics Building. After waiting for a couple of minutes, I saw a lady and a guy on an electric wheelchair. I knew it was them I was meeting so I waved and walked to them. I was greeted by a big smile, and an excited “Good afternoon Sir Tq! Miggy po!” It was Miggy and his mom. Little did I know that that would be the first of many mentorship sessions, encounters and conversations with Miggy.
We first knew Miggy as a participant in SDG Bootcamp 2018, a workshop for young innovators who have projects that addressed United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. He and his team were hard at work developing Accessiwheels. The next time we encountered him was at the UNDP Youth Co:Lab, a bootcamp by UNDP for youth changemakers. He pushed on with Accessiwheels, set on making it happen. And after that, he applied for the HiFi Future Shapers Program, a fellowship of young people making a change in the country.
An Intelligent Innovator
Miggy was as intelligent as he was wise. It was no secret; being a UP Cum Laude, and with all the different articles written about him. He connected thoughts so well, and developed ideas in a matter of minutes. We were all impressed with how quickly he did the numbers on his business idea. He was a born innovator who always had a “what can I improve, and how can I do it” attitude.
Miggy was humble in his intellect. He was open to listening to ideas, suggestions, lessons and tips from all sides. He was biased to facts and truth. He was wise well beyond his years.
An Empathic Human
Miggy was empathic. He felt not just for people with the same condition as he, but for everyone. You felt his pain not for his own situation, but for the lack of opportunity afforded to all people. He worked not for his own good, but for the benefit of all. He was a Universal Designer. He believed that good design is design for everyone.
Never once did we hear him say anything bad about anyone or anything. He was always eager to give the empathic point of view, to help others understand others’ situations.
An Unstoppable Spirit
Miggy was an optimist. Despite his condition and the difficulties society might accost him, he remained hopeful of what might happen and what he can do it change it. As a UP cum laude, you can already tell that he will not let anything stop him. If he wanted change, we will be that. And in spite of all the challenges that he faced, he was able to launch Accessiwheels, the idea he’d been working on since September 2018.
Accessiwheels “drove people toward equal opportunities.” But I think it did more than that. Accessiwheels stayed in operation in Manila through the pandemic and has provided free rides to PWDs and patients who needed to go to the hospital. They literally saved lives. That is testament to Miggy’s strength and vision.
Miggy may have left our world but his spirit, influence, and ideas continue to inspire us and to prove that disabilities are not disabilities but real abilities. He has proven that change can happen if we all give everyone equal opportunities.
I will forever remember him. He was a mentee but he was so much bigger and wiser than me. He is an inspiration. The HiFi family will never forget him. Remember the name: Alexander Michael “Miggy” Bautista, a future shaper.
Rest in power, Miggy!
In loving memory of Miggy, please support Accessiwheels by sharing it with friends and family.
