arts, auctions and children at play

MENTION the name of Kenneth Cobonpue and lovers of unique, tasteful and beautiful furniture and other fineries will not run out of superlatives to describe his creations, including the world’s first bamboo and rattan car, called “Phoenix”—an apt description, mind you, to illustrate how indigenous materials can soar above the ordinary in the global stage of design.

Surely, these fans will be ecstatic to learn that the multi-awarded, internationally renowned designer from Cebu City is one of the nearly hundred artists and designers participating in Unicef Philippines’s Auction for Action program that aims to raise funds for impoverished Filipino children.

Now on its third year, the project is eyeing P5 million in proceeds from the six-day auction that will begin on October 21. The proceeds from the fundraising will be used to finance Unicef’s latest endeavor: Supervised Neighborhood Play Program, or SNP, said Michelle Borromeo, officer in charge for communications and private fund-raising at Unicef’s Manila office.

Still at its infancy, the program has already attracted a growing number of artists and designers. When it began in May 2011, there were only 36 participants.

Their number rose to 80 last year and further to 90 this year, a sign that when it comes to charity, and in particular the welfare of the children, these creatives are just too willing to lend a hand. Or, in this case, donate their art.

“These artists, some of whom have been there since the start, are participating in this program because of the goodwill generated by Unicef. They know that it’s for a worthwhile cause,” said Borromeo in an interview during the media launch of the project at the Yuchengco Museum in the RCBC headquarters in Makati City.

Of course, the participating artists will receive certificates of donation that they can use as tax deductions, but that’s probably the least of their concern. This will be the first time that the program will be funding a specific project. In 2011, when it raised P1.4 million, and in 2012 when it generated P3 million, the funds were pooled to finance Unicef’s various initiatives such as promoting health, education of underprivileged Filipino children.

 play and learn

THE Supervised Neighborhood Play is a home-based early learning program where trained day-care workers or parent volunteers supervise young children in a house, a shaded play area or even under a tree for two to three hours every day for at least 10 months. The program aims to help children learn through organized play and prepare them for the rigors of a formal education.

Unicef will support SNPs in remote, conflict or disaster-affected communities, as well as in informal settlements located in both urban and rural areas, places where the government’s day-care programs are, sadly, out of reach, or are not enough to meet the growing demand. While it is a known fact that various forms of play keep children healthy and sharpen their skills in listening, self-expression and observation, as well as enhance their confidence, most parents, especially those belonging to poor communities, are largely unaware of this.

And even if they know about the benefits of play to children, parents from marginalized sectors would rather have their children help with the household chores or in earning money by letting them sell cigarettes, candies and sampaguita on the streets.

Through SNP, Unicef hopes to change this.

“The participation of the parents is crucial for the success of the program. That is why Unicef also provides training for the parents under its parent effectiveness program,” said Borromeo, herself a mother of three young children aged 10, eight and three years old.

Borromeo, a sales and marketing professional before joining Unicef, has been with the organization for five years now. Before her Unicef stint, she worked as marketing and sales professional for Shangri-La malls and Levi’s Philippines. But her first love has always been working for children.

“I am fond of children,” said Borromeo, whose first job right after finishing a university degree was working as a production staff of the hit children’s TV show Batibot, a Philippine educational program for television much like Sesame Street.

paintings, furniture, jewelry 

DURING the media launch, reporters were shown paintings, furniture, jewelry pieces, books signed by the authors, fashion accessories that would be sold through an online auction via eBay from October 21 to 27.

While all the pieces are divine to own, Cobonpue’s coral sculpture, Debbi Palao’s “Nimbus” chaise lounge, Dominic Rubio’s "Father and Two Sons" painting, and Vikki Rodriguez’s “Kinks and Curls” lamp are my favorites. They are all displayed until October 26 at the Yuchengco Museum—along with rare paintings by Filipino masters Cesar Legaspi, Anita Magsaysay-Ho, Fernando Amorsolo, Carlos “Botong” Francisco, Ben Cabrera (or BenCab), H.R. Ocampo and Juan Luna. That’s another reason to visit the museum.

For a preview of the art works and other pieces available for auction, visit www.unicef.ph, or trek to the Yuchengco Museum. Believe me, it’s worth the trip.

---