Filipino girl tops viral '20 Kids With Real Superpowers' list

MANILA, Philippines — A Filipino girl topped the “20 Kids With Real Superpower You Won't Believe" list of YouTube channel Ultimate Fact.

Ultimate Fact listed Emma Tablate from Iloilo City as their top kid real "superhero." She was dubbed by the channel as the "fire starter." 

"She could set up fire by the power of her mind," Ultimate Fact described Emma.

Reports back in 2011 stated that the then three-year-old Emma was capable of making fire by merely saying the word "sunog," the Filipino word for fire. 

The story of Emma was covered by GMA Iloilo correspondent Carol Velagio and cameraman Mark Villaluz.

The team believed the story of Emma as they witnessed how the child started a fire. She was discovered as fire broke out wherever she went.

“I have seen the fire she made, even her underwear also burning. I don’t believe that it was only a trick. I know they are just poor, and being a mother you cannot afford to burn those important things they cannot easily get,” said Velagio.

“The camera I have used suddenly malfunctioned after Emma spoke fire on it. When I check it up, there was no fire on it. It removed the tape then try to record but still displayed error. But when we came to the city I tried recording, then it works,” added Villaluz.

Even policemen attested to Emma's supposed "superpower."

“I was aghast since this is my first time to experience such unusual things a child can do,” police officer SPO4 Manfredo Palcat said.

“The bread she had eaten suddenly blazed after she was saying, 'fire…fire…'.” 

SF02 John Bonitillo Chief of Intelligence and Investigation Section, who made investigated the case together with other experts, said: “Unexplained, we come to the experts but seems paranormal phenomenon."

Emma was believed to have Pyrokinesis, a psychic ability that allows a person to create and control fire through the mind or imagination. Pyrokinesis is the subject of the hit 1984 film "Firestarter" starring Drew Barrymore, with a 2022 remake starring Zac Efron.

Completing the Top 5 of "20 Kids With Real Superpower You Won't Believe" are:

• United Kingdom's Aurelien Hayman who has super memory that he can remember even what he ate, daily temperatures and songs played on the radio at every moment from his childhood;
• India's Deepak Jangra, a then 11-year-old who could pass 11,000 volts of electricity pass through his body through a live wire in his tongue; 
• USA's Young Titus, who never missed a basketball shot; 
• and China's The Night Eye, a blue-eyed boy who has perfect vision at night;

Ultimate Fact's YouTube video now has over 13 million views and 209,000 likes. — Video from Ultimate Fact via YouTube