Ten AJHS boys successfully represent PH in ‘Breaking Free from Plastic’ int’l youth summit

Ten Ateneo de Manila Junior High School students successfully represented their school and the Philippines at the "Breaking Free from Plastic" (BFFP) Summit held online from April 8-10, 2022. These students are Alex Deymos (La Storta/10-Ferreres), Anton Manalo (Cardoner/10-Chabanel), Gabb Balingbing (Pamplona/9-Sitjar), Axell Bermundo (Montserrat/9-Lewis), Marco Escalona (Cardoner/9-Baldinucci), Stephen Materum (Montserrat/9-Lalemant), Gab Vencio (La Storta/9-Fernandes), Junby Layaoen (Montserrat/8-Ireland), Jesu Manzano (La Storta/8-Cottam), and Luis Galang (Cardoner/7-Alvares).  

The global and virtual summit consisted of workshops, discussions, and skillshares that equipped the participants with information about the plastic waste crisis. 

Here are some notable anecdotes about our boys’ participation in the summit:

1) During the open forum on "Links of Plastic to Climate," Jesu Manzano broke the ice by asking the panelists the first question: "One of the biggest issues that the world faces today is that of plastic pollution. There are issues in terms of inequity between poor and rich countries. Should developed countries help underdeveloped countries in fighting against plastic?"

2) During the open forum for "Skillshare: Community-based Projects," Junby Layaoen asked the panelists what challenges they have faced in initiating plastic movement campaigns in schools. In response, Thara Bening (from Indonesia) replied, "People are very reliant on plastic. There is also a misleading myth that if young girls refuse plastic bags in the market, it would be hard for them to get a husband. Teachers would also tell their students to study instead and not pay attention to these issues which can be handled by older people." Hannah Testa (from the USA) then shared, "You can expect challenges and that is normal. I knew my challenge would be that people would question my credibility just because of my age. The best thing that you could do is prove them wrong. Eventually, they realized that I knew what I was talking about and passionate about."

3) The participants were asked how they will apply what they have learned. Marco Escalona shared his answer to combat plastic waste and climate change: "Strive for equality and align our efforts for the benefit of everybody. An integral part of change is unhindered empowerment for the present generation that they can strive for more. (MAGIS, if I may put it.)"

4) Our boys also discussed the ways by which the AJHS community deals with plastic waste and resource management. Gabb Balingbing shared that in school tasks for subjects like Science, for example, AJHS students are encouraged or even required to use recycled materials.

The boys were selected by the AJHS Environment and Sustainability Committee in collaboration with the AJHS Office of Student Activities and the AJHS Science Subject Area. They were chaperoned at the summit by Mr. Barry Kayanan, Mrs. Malou Antonio, Mrs. Ammi Solmerin, Ms. Dickel Dagoc, Ms. Noelle Marcelo, and Mr. Marvin Chiong.