Beyond the Smile highlights the stories, care, and community support helping Filipino children with cleft conditions live with confidence. 

For a child born with a cleft condition, the journey does not begin or end in an operating room.

It can begin with a parent’s first questions: Why did this happen? Will my child be able to eat properly? Will they be able to speak normally? Will other children accept them?

And as the child grows, the challenges can extend beyond physical treatment. Confidence, emotional support, education, and acceptance can become just as important.

These realities took center stage at “Beyond the Smile: A Community Fair for Cleft Awareness,” a special event dedicated to raising awareness about cleft conditions and championing accessible, comprehensive cleft care for every Filipino child.

Held on August 14, 2026, at Ayala Malls Manila Bay, the event brought together healthcare professionals, patient advocates, educators, and community partners to raise awareness about the different aspects of the cleft care journey. 

The program featured a Fireside Chat Forum, where speakers discussed comprehensive treatment, patient experiences, misconceptions surrounding cleft conditions, and the importance of education and community support. 

An Activity Booth at the mall’s Activity Center also gave mallgoers an opportunity to engage with the advocacy and learn more about cleft conditions and the support available to affected families.

Organized by Smile Train, the community fair emphasized a message that went beyond the visible outcome of treatment: caring for children with cleft conditions means addressing their medical, emotional, and social needs throughout their journey.

A Journey That Begins Before Surgery

For Dr. Gene Gerald S.J. Tiongco, MD, FPAPRAS, a Smile Train volunteer surgeon, treating a child with a cleft condition is never the responsibility of the surgeon alone.

The process can begin as early as birth, with pediatricians helping parents understand proper nutrition and feeding. Other specialists, including orthodontic professionals and speech therapists, may become part of the child’s care as they grow.

“The surgeon would just be part of that. That is never the surgeon’s glory alone,” Dr. Tiongco explained.

Timing also matters. According to Dr. Tiongco, children with cleft lip may generally undergo surgery once they meet the necessary health and nutritional requirements, often at around three months of age. For cleft palate, treatment is typically timed before speech development becomes significantly affected.

But knowing when treatment should happen is only part of the challenge. Families also need access to accurate information and appropriate care.

Dr. Tiongco emphasized that the responsibility of the medical team extends beyond performing a procedure. Healthcare professionals also have to help parents understand that a child’s cleft condition is not their fault and guide them through the care that follows.

This multidisciplinary approach reflects a larger shift in how cleft care is viewed: not as a single operation, but as a continuing process involving different professionals and the child’s family.

Beyond the Operating Room

Smile Train Area Director for Southeast Asia Joel Flores highlighted the importance of building a network of care around each patient. 

“It’s not just about the operation. We believe that the partnership, the bond between patients and the team starts even beyond the operation,” Flores shared. 

Cleft care can involve speech therapy, orthodontic treatment, nutritional support, and psychosocial care alongside surgery.  Smile Train also works with local healthcare professionals and hospitals to make treatment more accessible, particularly for families in underserved communities. 

Flores emphasized that continued awareness is essential to address misconceptions, replace misinformation with facts, and reduce stigma surrounding cleft conditions.

A Patient’s Story of Resilience

For Denver Carranza of the Philippine Band of Mercy, the discussion was deeply personal.

Born with a cleft condition, Carranza shared how surgery was only one part of his journey. Growing up also meant facing moments when speaking clearly was difficult, dealing with challenges to his confidence, and learning to overcome discouragement.

Yet he credited the love, patience, and emotional support of his family, particularly his grandmother, as important parts of his growth.

His experience shaped his message to parents and children living with cleft conditions.

“Ang batang may cleft ay hindi lamang po nangangailangan ng operasyon. Sila po ay nangangailangan ng tunay na pagtanggap mula sa magulang, pagmamahal, emotional support at mahabang pasensya,” Carranza said.

His story illustrated one of the central messages of the event: correcting a physical condition is important, but helping a child develop confidence and feel accepted is equally meaningful.

For children experiencing bullying or stigma, that sense of acceptance can become especially important. Carranza encouraged children to recognize that differences do not make them less deserving of respect and understanding.

Education as a Path to Greater Acceptance

Awareness cannot rest solely on healthcare providers. It also has to reach the communities where children grow up.

That is where the partnership with REX Education Foundation, Inc. comes in.

Dominic Leandre D. Buhain, Vice Chairman of REX Education Foundation, Inc., explained that education can influence not only what people know but also how they treat one another.

“Education, for us, we believe is not only confined to the classroom, and it’s not only a transfer of information and facts,” Buhain said.

The foundation’s partnership with Smile Train includes the development of an educational storybook intended to promote representation and empathy.

For children who see themselves reflected in stories, representation can help strengthen self-belief. For children who have never experienced what it is like to live with a cleft condition, those same stories can serve as a window into someone else’s experience.

That distinction matters.

Awareness is not simply knowing that cleft conditions exist. It also means understanding that children with these conditions deserve the same opportunities, friendships, education, and respect as everyone else.

Changing the Story Beyond the Smile

The conversations at the community fair ultimately pointed to a broader definition of success.

A successful cleft intervention is not simply one in which a surgical procedure is completed. It is one in which a child receives the care they need, a family understands how to support them, and a community learns to see the person beyond the condition.

For Smile Train and its partners, that means strengthening local healthcare networks, expanding access to comprehensive treatment, addressing misinformation, and bringing cleft awareness into communities and educational spaces.

For patients like Denver, it means transforming a difficult personal experience into an opportunity to encourage others.

And for families, it means knowing that a cleft diagnosis does not have to define a child’s future.

The smile may be the most visible part of the transformation.

But beyond the smile is a much bigger journey—one shaped by medical care, family, education, acceptance, and the belief that every child deserves the opportunity to grow with confidence.

Watch these videos to see what happened at the event!

*Cover Photo/Thumbnail Photo From BuzzBeat Media