ILOILO City – Fourteen-year-old Kaitlinn Cayne Lubrico of Santa Barbara, Iloilo was adjudged first runner-up in a recent search for Exemplary Pantawid Pamilya Children, national level.
She received a plaque of recognition and P20,000 cash prize.
Prior to the awarding in Metro Manila, Lubrico and five other regional finalists and 82 finalists from 16 other regions attended a five-day workshop.
The champion came from Region 10. The second runner-up was from Region 1; third runner-up from the National Capital Region; and fourth runner-up from MIMAROPA or Western Tagalog Region.
All the winners were deemed ambassadors on children’s rights, specifically to health and education.
A Grade 8 student, Lubrico had been helping promote the “Basura ko, Ibulsa ko” policy in their school as initiated by the Student Supreme Council that she headed. It was designed to answer a specific concern of Santa Barbara that is steadily progressing – solid waste management.
“I cannot just sit here and do nothing,” said Lubrico.
The “Basura ko, Ibulsa ko” campaign encourages students to keep their garbage in their pockets or pick-up at least five garbage items and dispose these in waste disposal areas with corresponding labels (Maibubulok, Hindi Mabubulok and Recyclable) before leaving the school every afternoon.
Meanwhile, to address deforestation, Lubrico’s mother Romabel – a 4Ps parent Leader – and grandfather Beltran Somblingo who was a barangay kagawad joined their town’s annual tree planting activity in Barangay Tugas.
In the campaign against illegal drugs, Lubrico was a member of Barkada Kontra Droga, a school-based organization that helps students and out-of-school youth to stay away from illegal drugs.
“My major role is to gather the youth and get their commitment to help the group by joining different activities such as sports, bloodletting, feeding programs, waste segregation and disaster response,” said Lubrico.
But despite her many involvements in school activities, Lubrico remains focused in her dream of becoming a teacher. She accepted the request of the Barangay Barasan Este Council, through her grandfather who is the chairman of the Education Committee, to volunteer in teaching daycare children.
Every Saturday for two years now, Lubrico walks a half kilometer to reach the daycare center where her 33 pupils wait. She teaches them how to dance, sing, write, draw, count numbers, identify different colors and shapes, and nursery rhymes.
Lubrico considers teaching these children as an opportunity. She also wants to highlight the value of perseverance.
“I want to inspire kids younger than me. I am not rich but with determination I can reach my goal,” she said.
For Lubrico, the cash grants from the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program for education and health are buckets of gold because in their household, everything is scarce except love, hope and perseverance.
“Some kids are ashamed that they are beneficiaries of the 4Ps because they poor. But not me. I am honored and grateful because it is a great help to me and my family,” said Lubrico. (With a report from DSWD-6/PN)
