RAC Muntinlupa Central brings award-winning “Super Pinoy Kid” to Metro Bacolod, Neg. Occ.
Whenever people, particularly kids, are asked, “Who is your favorite superhero?”, the usual answers would always be the globally-idolized stars from Marvel or Justice League. Nowadays, it is already rare to find Filipinos who can still name a local superhero; if one is lucky enough, most characters that are on top of their heads are the likes of Super Inggo and Pedro Penduko. They have become a mainstay in Philippine literature since they invaded children’s notebook covers for school. The pandemic has further glued the young generation to their gadgets, limiting their already meager exposure to fictional and entertaining characters. This is the reason why a superhero was summoned to mix things up.
Along with the start of the new Imagine Rotary Year, the Rotaract Club of Metro Bacolod invited its twin club, the Rotaract Club of Muntinlupa Central, to bring Super Pinoy Kid (SPK) to the province of Negros Occidental on July 15 to 18, 2022. The SPK is a four-part comic collection featuring Biboy, a modern-day superhero who lives out the moral values taught by Rotary’s 4-Way Test. The comic, which also comes as a coloring book, aims to help elementary students become the country’s future role models and responsible citizens by using the stories of Biboy as guiding principles during their formative years.
At first glance, SPK’s Biboy may look like an ordinary 5-year-old kid from a poor family. However, what makes Biboy a Super Pinoy Kid is the four important moral principles he embodies in his daily life. The comic collection introduces Biboy as a young child with four amazing stories about his four unique attributes, namely: A Truthful and Honest Child, A Fair and Righteous Child, A Friendly Child, and A Responsible and Beneficial Child.
With the Super Pinoy Kid being one of its flagship projects, the Rotaract Club (RAC) of Muntinlupa Central has been recently included as Finalist in the 2022 Rotaract Outstanding Projects Awards.
Rotaractors from RAC Metro Bacolod’s twin club also brought their project entitled, “SPK Promotes Oral Health: Ngiting Puting Ngipin,” a series of videos promoting the proper and correct way of brushing one’s teeth as a way of fighting cavities and bacteria that may damage their teeth. This project of RAC Muntinlupa Central was also recognized as the Most Outstanding Project of Rotary International District 3830 last Life-Changing Rotary Year.
Benefitting more than 100 children across three communities—two in Bacolod City and one in the City of Sagay—Biboy’s trip to Negros Occidental undoubtedly widened the smiles of kids with his heroic and admirable stories. Along with the distribution of Super Pinoy Kid copies was a storytelling activity that narrated the four accounts of Biboy. The Rotaract Clubs gathered kids in small groups, where they could listen to a storyteller to ensure that the message of Biboy’s adventures was well-received.
After hearing the stories of Biboy, the Negrosanon children witnessed several Ngiting Puting Ngipin videos featuring Biboy with Super Ate Sandy, who went through the good practices of brushing their teeth to maintain good oral health. Beneficiary kids from Education & Training Center School-I and Purok Kabugwason, Brgy. Mansilingan in Bacolod City and from Purok Bougainvillea, Brgy. Old Sagay in Sagay City then received copies of the SPK comics, coloring materials, and oral hygiene kits as gifts.
Headed by their Marvelous Visionary President this Rotary Year, Mayrian Ness Olitoquit, Rotaractors from RAC Muntinlupa Central served as activities’ storytellers and facilitators. Among the delegation were Charter President Vincent Naval, Past President Ralph Cepillo, Club Secretary Goldy Jativa, Finance Director Sandra Lascano, and Member Niño Medina.
They were hosted in Bacolod City by the Rotaract Club of Metro Bacolod, under the leadership of Imagine Year Dream President Fel Xyruz Magallona, together with Immediate Past President Ellen Tribunsay, President-Elect Beatriz Marie Abayon, District Rotaract Representative for RID 3850 Magic Alvarado, and other Metro Bacolod clubs, namely: RAC University of St. La Salle, Interact Club (IAC) of La Consolacion College-Metro Bacolod, IAC Liceo de La Salle, and IAC Negros Occidental High School.
The Rotary Club of Metro Bacolod, the mother club of the aforementioned Rotaract and Interact Clubs, fully supported the said events as they were headed by Past District Rotaract Representative and Dream President Richard Jeric L. Chua.
On the other hand, the Rotaractors from RAC Muntinlupa Central were hosted in Sagay City by the Rotaract Club of Metro Sugarbowl Champions under Dream President Yqfryd Alvarado, as supported by Rotarian President Benson Fernandez of the Rotary Club of Sagay-Sinigayan.
A couple of District Rotaract Representatives (DRR) were present throughout the activity, as DRR Maria Teddielyn Bernadette Lebrias of Rotary International District (RID) 3830 and DRR Kert Nhajzr Priagula of RID 3850 graced the momentous occasion for their clubs’ joint activities.
RAC Metro Bacolod Club Secretary Jude Lourence Segovia and Professional Development Service Director Brix Joshua Ponclara ensured that the said activities were well-documented by creating articles and collating event photos for the Rotaract community and the general public to view.
In a technology-dominated world, no one is too old and late for a superhero story, and through this joint activity of RAC Metro Bacolod and RAC Muntinlupa Central, the childhood of Negrosanon and Bacolodnon kids has just become brighter and better.
