Online personalities Frankie Pangilinan, Macoy Dubs to speak at EU’s Children Summit

MANILA, Philippines — Two of the country’s well-known progressive online personalities, Frankie Pangilinan and Macoy Averilla, also known as Macoy Dubs, will be speaking at the European Union (EU) Children’s Rights Summit on October 17.

EU confirmed on Thursday that the two youth advocates, along with lawyer Maria Jela Mendones Moran, would talk in a virtual program called My Space My Rights,  which would be attended by over 300 students nationwide.

According to the EU, the summit is geared at providing a platform for the youth to assess how they have been faring amid the pandemic.  A two-day training session was conducted last October 10 to 11 to orient youth leaders who were nominated to facilitate discussions during the online forum.

“The summit will provide a platform for children and youth to assess their situation, especially during this pandemic with a focus on the four basic clusters of the rights of children: survival, protection, participation, and development,” EU said in a statement.

While the three speakers have been recognized for their advocacy, all their efforts resonate behind calls to make a better place for children.  Pangilinan, daughter of Senator Francis Pangilinan and celebrity Sharon Cuneta, started the #HijaAko — an anti-rape movement that seeks to make young people in social media aware of their rights.

Averilla, well-known for creating online content providing comic relief to young people during the pandemic, has also been promoting socially aware content through his alter ego Macoy Dubs.

Meanwhile, Moran is the founder of Know Your Rights Philippines, a group that strives to educate young and people about their rights and duties under the law.  Moran is also a volunteer counselor of the Free Legal Aid Programme of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines.

The international body also noted that the summit, co-presented by the Ateneo Human Rights Center and the Commission on Human Rights Child Center, is relevant because most students attending online classes now avoid possible coronavirus transmissions.

“Although the global pandemic has caused an abrupt shift to online learning, the digital platform has also given us a unique opportunity to reach a wider group of students who deserve to know their rights and valuable contributions to society,” EU Delegation Chargé d’affaires Thomas Wiersing said.

“The European Union remains eager to support and empower the vast potential of young leaders today. This virtual children’s rights summit aims at achieving that objective,” he added. [ac]