I wish it were different, but the stark reality is that not all children are born equal nor are they given equal access to health and education. Having grown up in a place like Borongan City, Eastern Samar, I am all too aware of this reality.
I am probably one of the biggest supporters of organizations that seek to advance the welfare of children. So when my good friend Mag Cruz Hatol (who I got to know way back in my Ateneo days) sat me down one evening and pitched to me the idea of becoming an ambassador of a group called PLAN Philippines, it wasn’t too difficult to convince me.
A year ago, Mag (secretary general of AnakTV) came to me with the pitch. PLAN had asked him to recommend celebrities that he thought could best push forward their advocacy for children. They already had Mikee Cojuangco, the AnakTV spokesperson, on board, but since the organization had vast concerns affecting children, they wanted another ambassador to focus on education. (Cheryl Cosim is the PLAN Philippines ambassador for health).
Nanay was a public schoolteacher for more than 40 years so children and education are advocacies very close to my heart. The fact that I come from Borongan was, I guess, a plus factor in my decision to become PLAN ambassador because Eastern Samar is one of the areas where PLAN has its program units in the Philippines. The others are Northern and Western Samar, Southern Leyte, Camotes Island in Cebu, Occidental Mindoro, and Central and South Masbate. According to Mardy Halcon of PLAN Philippines, the group works in 420 communities nationwide while more than 80,000 families and 200,000 children benefit from the projects.
PLAN has been working in the Philippines since 1961, “helping poor children realize their rights to health care, education, protection and a high quality of life.”
As PLAN Philippines ambassador, I went to Tacloban City in May 2011 for the first youth media fest dubbed Kabataan Sa Bisayas Media Festival. It was piloted all over the Visayas region and organized jointly by AnakTV and PLAN Philippines. Aside from PLAN International, other government and private institutions came forward to support the project, among them the Philippine Information Agency, the University of the Philippines, Leyte Normal University, the Office of the Leyte Governor, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), the Philippine National Police (PNP), Columbia’s, Robinsons Malls, the Goethe Institute and the Department of Education. All of the people and organizations that signed up believed that the youth should be given media space and allowed to explore modern media. By doing so, they will be better prepared to inherit the world and transform it into a better place to live in.
There was a literal harvest of entries last year: Approximately 100 videos and nearly 200 photographs on a vast range of subjects. Some showed the youth’s angst over family squabbles; over how poor their conditions were; about decrepit roads and abusive teachers; about drug mules and child trafficking; about environmental degradation and mining; even about childhood romance and discrimination. The photos and videos were exhibited in the malls. Hundreds of mini-documentaries and public service announcements from various parts of the country were created and sent in by the youth. The entries were substantial that a decision was made to take the contest nationwide. It was obvious that kids all over the country had a lot to say and were just looking for a proper venue to express themselves. We wanted to give more kids the opportunity to get their thoughts, ideas and observations captured on video and photo. “We should hear from the kids elsewhere,” I said.
So this year, PLAN has launched the second youth media contest called Sinebata: Kabataang Pinoy Media Festival.
Sinebata is a video and photo competition seeking works that define the Filipino youth’s view of issues that affect him, his family, his school and his community. They can be about his hopes and wishes for the future, family concerns, education, environment, substance abuse, teenage life and problems, career plans and ambitions, community issues and others.
The contest is open to all youth who are Filipino citizens living, studying or working in any Philippine province, town or city. They can use any camera, whether hand-held video, handycams, digital cameras, mobile phones with camera capabilities and so on.
There are two categories — one for those aged nine to 17; and another, from age 18 to 23. Students as well as out of school youth are invited to join the contest. Entries must be e-mailed to anaktv_seal@yahoo.com. They can also be sent to any of the following reception centers: Sinebata, AnakTV, 8-A Matatag Street, Pinyahan, Quezon City; Sinebata, Plan International, 2/F Uytingkok Building, Veteranos Avenida, Tacloban City; Sinebata, Baguio Museum; Sinebata, Office of the VP for Research, West Visayas State University, Iloilo City; Sinebata, Office of External Affairs, Aquinas University, Legazpi City or to Sinebata, NCCT, 4/F, Bonifacio Building, DepEd Complex, Meralco Avenue, Pasig City.
Final submission of all entries is on April 30. There will be independent screenings and discussions to be held at select universities and colleges in Manila, Baguio, Legaspi, Iloilo and Davao from May 2 to 27, while the awarding and closing ceremonies will be held in Tacloban City on May 30. Trophies and cash incentives will be given to the top winner in each category. The top choices will be sent to international video and media competitions to represent the Philippines. A TV special will be produced by AnakTV to feature the entire contest and the top winners and their creators. The special will be jointly hosted by Cheryl, Mikee and myself.
The organizers are hoping that with Sinebata, children’s concerns and issues will be given more attention. It is important to get children and the youth to express themselves because that is one of the key tenets in the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
For additional details on the contest rules, check out the PLAN International website.