Friday, August 17, 2018

The Pochologist Inspires the Youth of Pola, Oriental Mindoro

The municipality of Pola, Oriental Mindoro, headed by Mayor Leandro Panganiban Jr. and Vice Mayor Jennifer Cruz, organized the Pola Kabataan Day on June 23rd. Over 60 high school students from different schools gathered at the plaza to listen to the invited inspirational speakers – Ms. International 2013 Bea Rose Santiago, Ms. Supranational 2012 3rdRunner-Up Elaine Kay Moll, and Filipino motivational speaker Pocholo “The VoiceMaster” Gonzales.

The event was opened with Vice Mayor Cruz welcoming the audience, made up of the students and their parents. She explained the objectives of the event, and how they believe in the capacity of the youth of Pola. She made her talk interactive by engaging the audience with questions and witty remarks. She then transitioned into showing a short video that told her inspiring story of overcoming poverty, to becoming a celebrity and now a public servant.

After the Vice Mayor’s talk, Bea and Elaine came onstage to individually share their journey in the respective beauty pageants they have joined. They inspired the audience by talking about how they began the journey with a simple dream, and the struggles they encountered in terms of embracing their beauty inside and out. They also shared their experiences in Binibining Pilipinas, up to the international stages they have conquered. Both ladies inspired the participants to reach for their dreams, and to believe in their capacity to succeed despite their current circumstances.

Pocholo was the last speaker for the event. He started by introducing what he does as a youth advocate, a Filipino motivational speaker, and a voice artist. He shared how he started with his dreams as a young boy growing up in the province of Bataan, and how he has discovered his passion to serve his fellow youth. Pocholo also talked about his idol Dr. Jose Rizal, and encourage the audience to emulate his values and principles as the “first Filipino.”

Pocholo then exemplified his heart for youth empowerment when he called onstage one of his proteges in voice acting, Kelvin Lumibao. Kelvin is Pocholo’s scholar in his voice acting school, and the head anchor of Brigada Kabataan, one of the radio shows that Pocholo has produced under Voice of the Youth Network. Kelvin amazed the audience with his voice acting prowess, by doing voice impressions of over 50 character voices! He also inspired the audience to believe in their dreams and in their talents.