NCCA brings the art of storytelling to Rapu-Rapu schoolchildren

The National Commission for Culture and the Arts and the Rapu-Rapu Polymetallic Project jointly with the district office of the Department of Education in Rapu-Rapu stir up love for reading books among schoolchildren through Bikol stories retold by Bicolandia beauty queens.

Storytelling for children took a new twist from the archetypal Lola Basyang genre and, this time, the fresh advocates turned out to be youthful beauty queens of Bicolandia.

Katherine Dominique Lagrimas, Miss Bicolandia 2010, and Joyce Alexis Baldon, Miss Chinese World-Philippines 2011, examples of the proverbial beauty-and-brains, delighted Rapu-Rapu elementary pupils in a day of storytelling, March 6 this year, marking a debut of Bikol stories for children told to, of course, schoolchildren.

It was the first-ever activity of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) in the island municipality of Rapu-Rapu, Albay, mounted in partnership with the east district office of the Department of Education (DepEd) in Rapu-Rapu and the Rapu-Rapu Polymetallic Project (RRPP), largest copper-zinc mine development venture in Albay operated by Rapu-Rapu Minerals, Inc. (RRMI) and Rapu-Rapu Processing, Inc.

Two storytelling sessions took place. The morning session was held at the Rapu-Rapu Central Elementary School, the largest elementary school in the town’s poblacion and the afternoon session was conducted at Carogcog Elementary School, a village school that is literally latched on a mountain overhang facing Albay Gulf.

Grade 1 to Grade 6 pupils from the two schools, together with their teachers, attentively listened while the two beauty-queens-turned-storytellers did their act. The pupils actively interacted with the storytellers and their classmates during the question-and-answer portion. Some of the kids even sang songs to impress their guests.

Cecille Calleja, RRMI vice-president for public relations and corporate affairs, said the storytelling sessions were meant to nurture love for reading books among schoolchildren, a project that the DepEd district office in Rapu-Rapu also promotes through their W.A.R. (We Advocate Reading) program, which the mine project also supports.

“We promote these activities as a way of catalyzing development of reading in schools and communities to draw out creative outputs as well,” Calleja said.

The storytelling project was dubbed “Yudi Man” (Yudi man! is a Bicol expression of delight and appreciation, equivalent to Wow!). It was conducted in Rapu-Rapu through the community development assistance and corporate social responsibility programs of the mine project and the National Committee on Literary Arts (NCLA) of the NCCA.

During the sessions, Miss Bicolandia and Miss Chinese World-Philippines more than wowed their young audience with their renditions of award-winning stories for children written in Bikol by Bikol authors.

Dominique told the story, “Si Miriam asin an Saiyang Samhod, Panlampaso, Pantrapo asin Panhaklot nin Ati” (Miriam and Her Broom, Floor Scrubber, Duster and Dustpan), by Carlos A. Arejola. The book was just off the press early this year. The story emphasizes sibling cooperation and the saying “Cleanliness is next to Godliness.” It also teaches children to always bear in mind the importance of keeping their own homes clean.

For her part, Joyce read “Kan Magutom si Buchok” (When Buchok Got Hungry) by H. Francisco V. Peñones Jr., winner of Premio Tomas Arejola para sa Literaturang Bikolnon (Tomas Arejola Award for Bikol Literature) in the stories for children category and included in the book, Yudi Man: Mga Osipon para ki Nunuy asin ki Nini, published in 2009 by NCCA. The story reminds children never to skip a meal and teaches them to eat nutritious not junk food. 

Carlos Arejola, Southern Luzon coordinator of the NCLA, said the children’s response was so touching. “I am looking forward to do more arts and culture projects in Rapu-Rapu,” he told the children and the teachers.

The March 6 storytelling in Rapu-Rapu was part of a series of storytelling session Arejola has spearheaded since 2011. A similar session was done in February 16 this year in yet another outlying DepEd school, the Binanuaanan Norte Elementary School in Pili, Camarines Sur. The said reading advocacy project was part of the 2-day Pintakasi kan Literaturang Bikolnon (Bikol Literary Festival), the Southern Luzon satellite event of the TABOAN Philippine Writers Festival, which included a literary forum, book fair, and poetry reading.              

Calleja said storytelling for children is part of a slew of projects on culture and the arts that the CSR programs of the mine project are whipping up this year.

She said these programs were put in place, among others, to facilitate activities that preserve local cultural traditions and uplift people’s art.

“Aside from the Bikol storytelling caravan which we hope to also bring to public schoolchildren in Legazpi City and Sorsogon, we are planning with the NCCA a summer arts camp and workshop for Rapu-Rapu high school students in April this year,” she said.