Close Encounter with the TAMBORLING

Close Encounter with the TAMBORLING
(The night Pia Wurtzbach was crowned Miss Universe)

During dinner (wait, more of after dinner), we invited the eldest Tamborling (14 years old) to sit with us and talk about, what else... Miss Universe and HIV.

Distinguished friends on the table...
- Senior (chief) HIV Peer Educator - decades of HIV advocacy experience
- City Epidemiologist and City HIV Coordinator - led several pioneering and innovative HIV initiatives in his city
- Research Director - with a PhD in Communications
- and course Papang and Mamang

He had battery of questions from the panel, including some of those that somehow were quite difficult for most parents to ask.
- what do you know about HIV?
- how did you learn about these?
- do you discuss these among your classmates?
- are they comfortable about this topic?
- should HIV awareness be taught in every school?
- what about condom? do you know how to use it?
- etc, etc, etc

Goosebumps, butterflies, water lilies... as I listen on how the Tamborling answer each question with conviction! I don't know how to summarize these here but the following is an attempt to jot down my reflections:

- indeed, young ones, just like us in our adolescent years, learn much about sex and sexuality from many other sources... mostly from friends and rarely from parents or from home.
- but the Tamborling thanked us for giving them science books to read about which includes topics related to reproduction. body parts, and diseases.
- he thanked Mamang and Papang, who unlike the parents of his other classmates, are able to discuss with him topics such as sex, HIV, STI, spirituality, and Filipino values
- HIV can be taught differently in High School, different from the current "models" designed by most HIV educators... perhaps through the lens of the age group of the Tamborlings (calling YPEER Pilipinas Emee Lei E. Albano-Valdehuesa Reign Gwapito Aiza Fetalvero Baldonado... everyone)
- they optimize the internet... if Mamang and Papang or Teacher are not able to respond well to their questions... they open google or the wikipedia

What struck me most is the Tamborling's confidence to challenge us... to challenge me... When I asked him of his thought about HIV being taught in schools... he corrected me my by saying "Papang, the better question is, why not?"

Kinabahan ako.
Pero... we ended up the night... confident, beautiful... and with a heart!

OMG, hindi na sila babies!