Breeze Ecoplay Gives Kids An Outlet for Play and Camaraderie

The sports festival emphasized the importance of an active childhood as students from Marikina participated in different Filipino games

The Breeze Ecoplay initiative commenced their latest event on December 10 at the Marikina Sports Center, giving elementary school children the opportunity to play traditional Filipino games and incorporate a more active lifestyle as they age. 

This mini-sportsfest was put together by Knowledge Channel Foundation and Unilever Breeze Philippines in partnership with the Marikina Schools District Office. It allows over seventeen different elementary schools from the Marikina area with students between Grades 4 to 6 to participate in a range of physical activities derived from palarong Pinoy. 

The Ecoplay initiative was initially conceived as a way of promoting active play for children during the pandemic. Now in its fourth year, the program expanded towards face-to-face play as a way of instilling stronger values for Filipino children. 

“ We believe that a nurturing, joyful environment enhances the educational experience helping our students thrive,” Marikina Schools District Office head Dr. Cynthia Ayles said. “This project not only promotes fun, but also instills important Filipino values, so hindi lang tayo naglalaro for fun  but also [to] our values such as sportsmanship, resilience, and discipline.” 

Importance of An Active Childhood

The Breeze Ecoplay event commenced with speeches from representatives of the companies that made this possible. Attendees included Dr. Edric Calma, Vice President of the Knowledge Channel Foundation; Dr. Cynthia Ayles from the Makati Schools District Office; former volleyball star and TV personality Gretchen Ho; and Lara Santos from Unilever Philippines. 

All of them emphasized the need for children to cultivate an active physical lifestyle from their youth onwards. From their perspective, it helped build a culture that focused not just on healthy bodies, but on a healthy perspective in life, active participants in nation-building and creation. 

“Ang paglalaro ay hindi lang isang libangan, kundi isang paraan para palaganapin ang holistic development ng iyong mga bata. Bukod sa pag-u-unlad ng physical na katawan, inaasahan namin na mayroon din kayong madadampot na aral dito,” Dr. Edric Calma, the Vice President of the Knowledge Channel Foundation, said.

[“Playing is not just a pastime, but a way to push for holistic development for your children. Beyond the strengthening of the physical self, we expect that the children will pick up different values during their play.”]

Lara Santos, the representative from Unilever Breeze Philippines, said that the company believed in the importance of building an active and resilient childhood. They believed that their product aligned with these goals because they granted children the freedom to play without needing to worry about the state of their clothing. 

“Because Breeze wants to create a generation na resilient and well rounded individuals na tulad niyo, what we hope you become,” she said. “Kaya sabi namin, sige sa mantsa, tuloy ang laro. Ang mantsa, parte ng proseso para matuto. Sa pagka-laro, matututo ang mga bata. Hopefully today, maalala niyo [ang] teamwork, sportsmanship, at tibay ng loob.”

[“That’s why we say, ‘let it stain and keep playing.’ The dirt and stains are part of the process of learning. When children are playing, they’re learning. Hopefully today, they remember teamwork, sportsmanship, and the strength of self.”]

Traditional Palarong Pinoy

About a hundred or so students and their teachers from different schools descended upon the Marikina Sports Center early in the morning, buzzing excitedly for the chance to spend their school day competing with other children on different sports activities. 

Five different Filipino games were included for the children to participate in: sipa, tumbang preso, patintero, agawang panyo, and agawang base. Each game challenged the dexterity of the young students’ bodies in the open fields of the sports complex. The games also encouraged them to engage with their classmates in teamwork as they worked out strategies to outwit their opponents during the games.  

Each grade level played three of the games mentioned above, adding a sense of variety to the students’ play. Grade Four, for example, were the only grade level to have sipa and agawang panyo. Meanwhile, the students of Grades Five and Six played patintero and agawang base. All grade levels had tumbang preso.

Children found themselves resolute not just in winning, but in having fun as well. Many had determined looks and smiles all around as they focused on battling with other schools in the morning sun. Energy buzzed through the complex as even the kids not in competition scampered around, throwing fabric fans in the air like frisbees to pass the time between competitions. 

Win or Lose, Everyone Wins

By the end of the games, different schools were honored for winning their respective competitions. The biggest winners were the children at H. Bautista Elementary School, who ended up winning first place at the tumbang preso games for all grade levels, and won number one school overall for the Breeze Ecoplay event.

Despite this, the organizers of the event emphasized that the point did not center on winning. In fact, they said that the Breeze Ecoplay event extolled the value of learning how to lose with grace, and its importance in our adulthood. 

“ Walang gustong matalo, diba? Pero parte yan ng buhay. Sa bawat laro, may panalo at may talo. Normal lang yung matalo,” Gretchen Ho said to the children during the commencement exercises.

“Kaya naman sa paglalaro natutunan natin kung paano manalo at kung paano matalo: kung paano manalo ng may pagkukumbaba at kung paano matalo ng hindi tayo napipikon. Kahit matalo, smile pa rin. Ang mahalaga [ay] matuto, tumayo, bumangon!”

[“Nobody wants to lose, right? But that’s a part of life. For every game, there’s a winner and a loser. It’s normal to lose. That’s why in playing, we learn how to win and lose: how to be humble when winning and how to keep a cool head when losing. Even when lose, we smile! What matters is learning and standing back up when we fall.”]

Nurturing Healthy Childhoods with Open Play

The organizers of the Breeze Ecoplay event hoped that the children left with a stronger sense of accomplishment during their games. More than winning, the event built up the need for resiliency, to keep moving forward even as setbacks accumulate. 

“ So importante na may matutunan tayong values sa paglalaro natin dito at matuto tayo ng resiliency. Yung kada nadadapa, bumabangon,” Calma said. 

[“What’s important in the values we learn here is resilience. When you fall down, you get back up again.”]

“Tulad ng buhay when things get tough, it’s okay to stumble, at okay lang din marumihan,” he continued. “Today in our partnership with Breeze, what is important is that we stand back up, continue playing, and face the challenges again.”

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