MANILA, Philippines—Two beauty queens were guests at the special Inquirer Read-Along session Friday, recounting stories highlighting the need for ingenuity and love for the environment.
Miss Universe runner-up Miriam Quiambao read to a group of 80 children from Golden Harvest Institute of Learning in Pampanga Christine Bellen’s “Ang Binibining Tumalo sa Mahal na Hari,” a story about a woman who fought for her beloved prince.
Miss Earth-Water 2006 Cathy Untalan was the narrator of the puppet show, “Eco-defenders: Tagapagtanggol ng Kalikasan,” which told of three kids who became “superheroes” for nature by conserving water and energy and promoting the proper disposal of waste.
The story was written by members of the US Agency for International Development- Sustainable Energy Development Program.
The audience, mainly composed of fourth, fifth and sixth graders, traveled to the Inquirer office in Makati all the way from Pampanga on an educational tour.
Quiambao, who has been involved with the National Book Development Board’s ‘Get Caught’ Reading campaign, said she was not a stranger to reading to children.
Quiambao entered the room escorted by two boys, amid laughter and giggles from their classmates. Her storytelling style—easy-going and conversational—put the children at ease and easily captured their attention.
“It’s very fulfilling to impart to kids the passion for reading,” she said. “It’s also effective to teach values through anecdotes and stories,” she said.
Quiambao balances her time between her real estate business and her hosting stints for QTV’s “The Beat.”
“I am a closet dork,” Quiambao revealed. “As a child, I would dress up and read to my sister as if I were a teacher,” she said.
On the other hand, Untalan, who is also the executive director of Miss Earth Foundation, regularly incorporates storytelling into the foundation’s environmental campaign all over the country.
“The kids get to appreciate our lessons through stories,” she said.
Untalan, is on her second year pursuing a Master’s Degree in Environment and Natural Resources Management at the University of the Philippines Open University.
She was a dynamo during her session, single-handedly providing the voices for all the characters in the puppet show. She also sang and danced, and asked students to join her in reciting the characters’ “buzz words.”
“It was a happy experience dealing with the kids! I enjoyed it because they were all lively and participative!” Untalan said.
The puppet show was a hit not only among the students, but also among the teachers, who were inspired to use similar visual aids in their classes.
“Not only did I enjoy the program, I also got a few tips as a teacher,” said Alma Pantalan, an English and Filipino teacher at GHIL. She added that she would also like to use puppets and Power Point presentations inside the classroom one day.
Bonnet Santos, principal of GHIL said the Inquirer Read-Along session was in the field trip itinerary, along with the Philippine Senate and Malacańang, the Philippine Air Force Air Base and Luneta Park. They said they left their school as early as 5 a.m.
“We wanted something different, something the children could learn from,” said Santos. “We enjoyed the Read-Along because it’s something different and interactive, compared to the usual trips to theme parks in previous years,” she added. Lawrence de Guzman and Kate Pedroso
