Kids turn stars in festival

CEBU, Philippines - Ever since she was invited by a social worker from the Missionaries of the Poor to join the recently held Children’s Festival at Don Bosco Technology Center, Ray Ann Flores, 12, was full of excitement.

Her friends—Melanie Acosta, 10; Johnmar Amistomoso, 12; Ma. Elena Cabradilla, 11; and Renz Baguio, 11—who were also invited felt the same way. They immediately made plans of going to the event together.

These children from Sawang Kalero, who became friends through the years of the Children’s Festival, have strengthened their friendship over the past three Children’s Festivals. They have continued to meet every weekend when they go to the center of the Missionaries of the Poor for prayer, catechesis, and recreation.

In an interview, they shared that their excitement to attend the activity was spurred by the idea that they will be given “special treatment” again during the festival where they will participate in the games, showcase their talents through friendly competitions, and be treated with food, souvenirs, and prizes.

This was what exactly happened to them during the two-day Children’s Festival, organized by the Dolores Aboitiz Children’s Fund of the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. last July 17-18.

This group of friends was among the 600 vulnerable children who took active part in the festival’s learning stations designed to educate them.

Beyond the excitement of the games and friendly competitions and the thrill of a Jurassic-themed mini park are the life-changing lessons and memorable experiences obtained by the children.

For Ray Ann, she gained more friends, enhanced her personality through the learning stations, and learned good manners.

“Nakat-on gyud ko og maayong pamatasan sama sa pagkamaloloy-on, manggihatagon, og mo-respetar (I really learned good manners like being compassionate, generous, and respectful),” Melanie said.

For his part, Renz shared that his way of thinking has changed; he realized the importance of respect for elders and the consequences of his actions.

“These are the reasons why we are here. We want them to learn, to make them feel they are loved, and to give them a venue where they can express themselves freely, because these are the essence of being a child,” DACF deputy executive director Anabelle Fajardo said.

According to Fajardo, these values are among those possessed by Dolores Aboitiz (1888-1984), wife of Ramon Aboitiz. Other notable values of Doña Dolores, which DACF hopes to promote to the children, include loyalty, integrity, fairness, helpfulness, God-centeredness, respect, hard work, valor, generosity, hopefulness, friendliness, kindness, fortitude, sincerity, trustworthiness, peace-loving, humility, and forgiving.

The recent Children’s Festival carried the theme, “Dolores, Sumbanan sa Kabataan.”

Acknowledging the aims of the Children’s Festival, many youth volunteered in handling the games and other activities for the children. One of them is Catherine Silaga, 17.

“I volunteered because I want to know the lives of these children. An event like this helps the children whose stories could inspire others,” she said.

Frederick Corbita, volunteer for the Missionaries of the Poor for four years and animator for the Children’s Festival for three consecutive years, admitted that he also learned a lot from the children, like being respectful of their vulnerabilities, caring for their welfare, and ensuring that their rights are protected.

Although he was not able to make it as one of the volunteers in the Children’s Festival last July, he still maximized his time looking after the children during the event.

Corbita expressed his gratitude to RAFI for organizing the two-day event that made the children feel how special they are.

RAFI is planning another Children’s Festival in October to commemorate the National Children’s Month.

The overwhelming increase of participants and sponsors has inspired DACF to upgrade the initiative through celebrating the festival twice a year in order to accommodate more children and enable more partners to replicate this model in their own communities.

Through the Children’s Festival, RAFI hopes to create new friendships and strengthen the bonding among the children, like the special relationship shared by the five children from Sawang Kalero who always look forward to the Children’s Festival every year to share new memorable experiences together.

(Jayve Catubay and Gracezyl Blanco are third year mass communication students of the University of the Philippines in the Visayas-Cebu College who volunteered to cover this year’s first run of the Children’s Festival.)