A colleague once spoke about the massive deployment of Filipino domestics around the world. She candidly said it was our way of avenging our country because the Pinays were being put in charge of rich children and were consequently heaping upon them their brand of English. “Imagine a generation of Filipino-nannied kids growing up to speak English with a quaint Pinoy accent!”

At the recent Young Hearts Festival in Thailand, Filipinos scored another “vengeance”, this time in the area of entertainment. The youth delegates shone in every aspect, even in group dynamics exercises, lording over the rest of the international delegations, even the large Thai hometeam.

For years, we have been at the mercy of TV program producers in America, Britain, Australia, Korea, China, Japan, and Mexico. Imagine how the tables were turned when young delegates from Indonesia, Bangladesh, India, Vietnam and Thailand took to dancing to the tune and lyrics of Boom Tarat Tarat, Wowowee and Papaya! How the Filipino youth was able to spread the gospel of daytime prime in the Philippines is testament to our innate ability to worm into serious discourse and emerge popular.

The Pinoy Magic Ten was composed of Jelma Candiza (Eastern Samar), Joseph Danes De Vera (Mindoro ), Ma. Robina Paca (Southern Leyte) Leah Grace Banares, Merry Sunshine Serrano, Jophet Rojo (Masbate), Roland Saludario (Northern Samar), Jeson Gallego (Western Samar) and Arabelle Barcenas and Jieward Muana (Cebu).

Early on in the pre-conference activities, the Pinoy delegates were already looked up to for participation. They led the singing, the dancing, even the conduct of games. Even in home country powwows, they were visibly prepared and articulate. It also helped that the delegates had an easy way with English, making them well sought after during home country discussions. At mealtime, the trusty 10 reached out to other delegates and engaged them in palaver, easily winning everyone’s hearts for their cheerfulness and genuineness.

At one point, the delegates were teaching the entire festival body how to do novelty dancing to the tune of Buttercup, a feat only outdone by the equally talented Indonesian delegation which brought along its own pop angklung band.

THE PROBLEM OF CHILDREN

Asking the 80 children what the situation was in their home countries was among the more eye-opening activities. It was apparent that children and youth from the various countries considered the following as the most serious challenges facing them: child labor and other forms of child abuse, gender discrimination, early marriage, poor health and educational facilities, violence in schools (culture of bullying and corporal punishment) and environmental problems.

Strangely, the kids, even if most of them came from impoverished villages, did not think poverty was a problem as much as it was a challenge.

Forced or pre-arranged marriage, seasonal famine, gangsterism appeared as problems in only one or two countries.

It was a chance for Plan International to listen to the situationers straight from the mouths of babes. It was also helpful that the kids who attended were the cream of the crop and were therefore more attuned to realities, more observant and articulate.

A day after the final session, Plan International bigwigs met to discuss the problems and suggestions surfaced by the kids. In other words, the process held during the conference proper did not end there.

Among the more media-worthiest of the two day event was the surfacing at the scene of no less than the young and amiable Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva who showed his tech-savvy form by engaging the youth in the Social Media workshop to a couple of tweets. We found that he not only spoke impeccable Queen’s English, a Thai rarity, but also dabbled in rock.

Again the Filipino delegation did not pass the chance to hobnob with the bigshot. They tweeted and the Thai premier gamely replied.

By and large, the Young Hearts festival seemed tailor fit for the Pinoys.

It was the Filipino youth who seemed to have learned and enjoyed the most despite the unusually tight schedule.