How BRATS was born

Each of us has a unique story to tell. No matter who you are, what you do, where you live, what your gender is, whatever society you live in… you are a living and breathing story.

The cashier at 7-Eleven or any other store, the bus driver, your long-time neighbor, your English teacher from high school, your officemates, all have unique stories. All that is needed is to allow them to speak as we listen. Each story contains valuable lessons. The stories we feed ourselves matter and the way we respond to every story somehow defines what kind of person we are. We must keep an open mind. Only then, we will live to celebrate the very essence of our existence. Only then, we will understand each other better.

Doesn’t that intro sound like Boy Abunda, the STAR columnist (Direct Line) dubbed as the King of Talk?

He’s talking about BRATS (The Boy R. Abunda Talk Series) which was conceived “to encourage people to tell their stories and to listen with open hearts.”

Said Boy, “BRATS invites speakers to bravely share their stories of struggle, perseverance, truth and acceptance compressed in an eight-minute talk. This is a good place and time to create a ripple of impact.”

(Left) Lawyer Kathy Merza. (Right) Santy Layno

Infinite possibilities happen when there are exchanges of stories worth spreading.

“We need to touch each other’s lives. We need to listen to each other. We are a wired generation. One of our goals is to go back to the basics. To enjoy laughter, inspirations and conversations. And it should be experienced live,” Boy said in his opening remarks during the launch of BRATS last June 8.

Everybody knows of Boy’s insatiable passion for talking. His genuine interest in people, expansive knowledge and readiness to embrace and pursue any topic under the sun make him one of the most influential speakers of the land. Boy once delivered an intriguing yet interesting speech titled Why Can’t We Have a Gay President? for TEDxADMU.

Boy has high hopes for BRATS.

“We are hoping that BRATS becomes a celebration of life where ideas merge with inspiration and passion,” he added. “We would like to be able to tackle issues that deal with the physical, the intellectual and the spiritual journey that a person takes when moving from pain to wisdom, from being wrong to becoming right, from being a victim to becoming a victor, from being a failure to becoming a success, and from being a big s--t to becoming a big shot.” 

There were four speakers for BRATS’ first offering: lawyer Kathy Merza, Santy Layno, Almed Garcia and John Ace Hernandez.

(Left) Almed Garcia. (Right) John Ace Hernandez

Kathy is a hardworking woman of courage who went through a series of failures just to hit her goal of becoming a lawyer. Having failed the bar exam twice only fueled her determination to achieve her goal. With God’s guidance, she fought for her dream. Eventually, she won. Her failures along the way became a renewal of faith for her. “When you pray, go all out,” she advised.

A proud transgender woman, Santy went all out in telling her life story as a transgender woman and sex worker. “A prostitute is a victim while being a sex worker is a choice. I refused to be a victim.”

Almed broke the stereotypes of women dictated by society when it comes to relationships. Her story proves that there is a happy ending after all. Almed also shared that no matter what happens, wherever you go in life, you always come home.

Meanwhile, Ace is a proud gay father who raised his three biological daughters. He shared the joys of fatherhood. “Mahirap na masarap maging magulang. Kapag magulang, hindi mo iisipin ang sarili mo. Para sa anak mo lang.”  

Life is more fascinating when it’s lived with adventure, openness and kindness. The more we collect stories, the more colorful life gets.

Boy promised, “For as long as you’re willing to listen, for as long as you’re willing to tell your stories, we will be here. We want to go to schools, to companies, to organizations and to the provinces. We will organize BRATS for you. Magku-kuwentuhan tayo.”   

(BRATS is a perfect opportunity to embrace one’s truth and to experience real human connection through personal storytelling. For more info, contact Bemz Benedito at 0917-9984584 or e-mail at [email protected])

(E-mail reactions at [email protected]. For more updates, photos and videos, visit www.philstar.com/funfare or follow me on Instagram @therealrickylo.)