MANILA, Philippines–Songs and stories celebrating different kinds of love marked the Inquirer’s Valentine’s Day Read-Along session on Saturday which featured GMA-7 teen stars Ruru Madrid and Gabbi Garcia and veteran storyteller Ann Abacan.

 

Abacan read Mike Bigornia’s “Putot,” about a dog that eventually learned to love its short tail, while Madrid and Garcia read Segundo Matias Jr.’s “Ang Alamat ng Ilog Pasig,” a retelling of the origins of the famous river spawned by the unconditional love shared by the lovers Pas and Makisig.

 

Winners of last year’s Read-Along Festival photo and writing competitions also received their awards during the session held at the Inquirer main office in Makati City.

 

First-time readers Madrid and Garcia called their first storytelling session before a big audience “special.”

 

“I usually read to my younger nephews and nieces, but this is different because there are more kids and I saw that they were enjoying our story,” Madrid said.

 

Garcia said she was the youngest in the family so the experience was really new to her. “It was fun to mingle with younger kids and share what I know with them. Seeing their smiles after we read and sang for them was priceless.”

 

More than 50 children from Optimus Center for Development and Rafael Palma Elementary School attended the session, which also featured songs and dances.

 

Abacan led the children in dancing to the song “Pag-ibig Tulad ng Batis,” while Madrid and Garcia sang love songs to the kids after their storytelling segment.

More than romantic love, Madrid and Garcia said they hoped the children learned about other kinds of love. “Because our story was about the ilog Pasig, I hope the children also learned to value the river itself and take care of the environment,” Madrid said.

 

“I hope the children learned the value of making sacrifices for our loved ones. It’s not only about romantic love, we also make sacrifices for our families,” Garcia said.

 

The kids cheered their peers who won the festival writing and photo contests, which have been dominated by students from Optimus in Binangonan, Rizal, since 2013.

 

Grade 6 student Christian Manuel Fronda’s essay stood out in the writing contest, while fourth grader Matthew Psalm Alcantara’s photo of festival reader Nikki Gil bested other entries in the photo competition.

 

Writing from the heart

 

Fronda, who has joined the festival essay competition the past years, said he was happy to finally win it—an honor he shared with his elder brother, a previous winner.

 

His secret this year? Writing from the heart. “I wrote about not only what I saw, but also what I felt during the festival,” said Fronda, whose winning piece focused on his experience as one of the finalists in the festival storytelling contest.

 

On the other hand, Alcantara, back-to-back winner of the photo competition, said he was “shocked” to learn he had won.

 

“I never expected to win again,” said Alcantara, who attended the awarding ceremony despite feeling ill. He thanked Optimus school president Jaime Naval for giving him photography tips.

 

Junior Inquirer editor Ruth Navarra-Mayo and Junior Inquirer writer Dianne Villafuerte judged the writing tilt, while award-winning Inquirer chief photographer Rem Zamora judged the photo contest. The winning entries may be seen in the Feb. 15 issue of Junior Inquirer.

 

John Raymart, 10, said he was proud he was able to answer a question from Madrid about their story. “Ilog Pasig reminds us of the love shared by Pas and Makisig,” he said.

 

For Grade 3 student Sherilyn, the story of “Putot” taught her not to be ashamed of whatever physical attributes she had. “We should be grateful for the things God gives us,” she said.

 

Saturday’s session, hosted by Mayo, was held in cooperation with Optimus Development Center, Rafael Palma Elementary School, GMA Corporate Communications and Marian Domingo-Antonio of GMA Artist Center.