Tuesday, November 2, 2010

OF KIDS' CHOICE AND CHOICE KIDS (May 24, 2010)

By July 28, the National Council for Children’s Television (NCCT), an attached agency to the Office of the President, will celebrate its 13th birthday with its proud parent, Republic Act No. 8370, more popularly known as the Children’s Television Act of 1997.

Last May 5, NCCT turned seven under the Department of Education when it adopted the former from the Office of the President by virtue of Executive Order No. 203.

But, right between those memorable months, writer-director Frank Rivera, the incumbent NCCT executive director, decided to another historic move via its Dialogue with Media Practitionerslast May 18.

At the New Horizon Hotel in Mandaluyong City, he stressed the importance of our role in fulfilling the NCCT mandate: “We need you, media men and women, to help us develop a comprehensive media plan that initiates, promotes, and supports quality television programs to develop the Filipino child’s critical thinking and communication skills, moral values, and strong sense of national identity. Together, we can ensure that all children in the Philippines will have access to quality television programs that are creative, informative, educational, and entertaining wherever they are and in whatever circumstance they are in.”

And our Frank did it his way!

Barely three days after his oath-taking, officiated by Dep Ed Secretary Jesli Lapus last November 6, he was able to create with C.J. Andaluz as its director and Pixel Art Media Inc. as its producer -- a Bantay TV Informercial -- featuring actress Jodi Sta. Maria and son Thirdy who called for responsible viewership.

Seven days after, there he was again already signing a memorandum of agreement with the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster sa Pilipinas (KBP) and the Philippine Association of National Advertisers (PANA).

NCCT joined forces with KBP and PANA to closely monitor and manage complaints against children-unfriendly or undesirable television programs and promotions.

Of course, with our help, as the viewing public, we can make things happen by way of texting BantayTV(space)Message and sending to 700-6228 (NCCT) for Smart subscribers only; calling NCCT Hotline (+02)-637-2306 from Mondays to Fridays, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; or emailingbantaytv@ncctph.org.

He initiated the 1st Dep Ed-NCCT Dialogue with Scriptwriters last 18 December, wherein the participating writers – led by celebrity directors Joel Lamangan and Mario O'Hara with Lovers In Paris' Generiza Reyes, PBB Double Up's Paolo Rivera, Darna's Dode Cruz, Fullhouse's Denoy Punio, Panday Kids' Suzette Doctolero, The Last Prince's RJ Nuevas, Who Wants To Be A Millionaire's Allan Enriquez, to name a few -- agreed to support more child-focused primetime shows.

After 10 days, the NCCT, in cooperation with the National Commission for Culture and the Arts' Kalahi Cultural Caregiving Program made the Street Children's Day (or Niňos Inocentes) special via the 1st Cine Pambata Festival at the NCCA Auditorium in Intramuros.

Since November, too, NCCT became a raging bull in its commitment to change, the staff included, when they all underwent the Creative Leadership and Team Building Workshop and the like facilitated by the Think Team Consultancy Inc., among others.

Last Tuesday, they welcomed us with their loud fuchsia shirts and smiles as Dep Ed Assistant Secretary Jonathan Malaya and the rest drew the bigger picture of what NCCT had been doing, even during directorship of art consultant Alice Paňares.

World Vision's Filomena Portales reported the Situationer on Filipino Children from combined sources revealing that among the children in need of special protection, an estimate of 30,000-50,000 kids are displaced by armed conflict every year for the last four years. And that aside from taking care of the welfare of children in various circumstances of disability and child trafficking, Ms. Minnie introduced to us their Child Rights Network (CRN) that pushes for such bills as (1) Anti-Corporal Punishment; (2) Foster Care; (3) Anti-Child Pornography; (4) Increasing the Age of Statutory Rape.

Philippine Olympic Committee executive assistant, Gina Calaguas, was one of the reactors who reminded us about the significant role of sports in properly channeling youthful energy that might otherwise end up into impulsive sexual or violent acts.

After lunch, an enlightening panel discussion entitled How Do You Translate Data to Drama?followed and flowed towards a workshop with ABS-CBN's Gina Marissa Tagasa and her Kapamilya pals on one side while GMA 7's Tina Samson Velasco and her Kapusa partners, on the other, with Benedict Carandang, the co-founder of Tuldok Animation Studios Inc.; journalist Amadis Ma. Guerrero; Noel Mallonga, the L'Event Management big boss (or boses); and our student, Donnie Ray Cruz, now a TV5 Executive Producer, who noticed that this time, it was filled with not just school officials and teachers but students, from urban to rural areas, who made a big difference since, after all, they are real stakeholders here.

The next day, we went up to the Pine City for the 1st Summer Writers Workshop in Creative Writing with 30 students, 19 mentors, six facilitators, and two National Artists -- Virgilio Almario and Bienvenido Lumbera.

When Prof. Castillo said yes to our proposal to have a filmshowing, we screened indie filmmaker Arnel Mardoquio's Hunghong sa Yuta and it turned the participants' lives around upon learning about the Muslim's plight and fight for freedom.

We were supposed to teach performance poetry, however, after the screening we were told to share our experience in reviewing or writing criticisms instead. Mardoquio, via the said Cinemalaya-winner in 2008, touched the core of these would-be young critics who still cannot tap their knack for reading between the lines. After watching, conductor and consultant Rolando Garcia, felt the urge to advise Dep Ed in endorsing Mardoquio's peace advocacy through his art!

After two years of holding the Sining Pambansa for the 17 pilot high shools with Special Program in the Arts (SPA) in different parts of the country -- Dep Ed Asec. Malaya, once more, and his consultant, Prof. Florina Castillo -- gave us the rationale behind involving choice kids to theworkshop from May 17 to 24: “This is purely Creative Writing!”

Also at the Baguio Teachers Camp, Philippine Association for Language Teaching, Inc. will observe its 50th anniversary with its convention on May 27-28, three days before another training for SPA implementors or mentors under Lilian Luna.

During the eight-day workshop, we got an email from Asia–Pacific Broadcasting Union and Cable & Satellite Broadcasting Association of Asia, through UNICEF. Well, it is an invitation to all Asia-Pacific broadcasters and producers to submit entries for the Asia-Pacific Child Rights Award 2010. Programs both for children and about children are eligible and can cover any child rights issue. Entries -- whether documentaries that detail the plight of children or dramas that help break down stereotypes and discrimination, or animation that teaches and entertains -- must have been broadcast between June 2009 and May 2010 and must be received by 25 June 2010. Past winners include I-Witness: Child Beasts of Burden (2008) by GMA Network Inc., Juvenile Injustice (2005) by ABS-CBN Channel 2, and Angels in Prison (2003) by GMA-7. About the Convention on the Rights of the Child, just log onto www.unicef.org/crc.

Arriving home last Thursday, our kids' playmate hit her head on a window's metal frame. While our Ina was giving her first aid, all her friends stood around her to pray.

Do we have to interview them about what television shows they love watching?

TEXT SUPPORT:

SHOPPING MATH
A man will pay P20 for a P10 item he needs.
A woman will pay P10 for a P20 item that she doesn't need.

CONSIDER THIS:

If ever we feel God is taking away something from our hand, don't get sad, He is only emptying Our hand so we can receive something better.

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