Prince Jairo Paglinawan, born and raised in the province of Bulacan, recently won second place in the 6th Association of Southeast Asian Nations Youth Video-Making Contest.

His entry, titled "YANA (You Are Not Alone)," told the story of how a teenage girl faced her vulnerabilities and battled against anxiety and depression during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Paglinawan had a recent courtesy meeting with officials of the Department of Social Welfare and Development at the DSWD Central Office, where he accepted a cash incentive given in recognition of his achievement. Before this meeting, DSWD Secretary Erwin Tulfo had met Paglinawan during the gala dinner of the 28th ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community Council Meeting in Phnom Penh, Cambodia on 12-14 October.

The 21-year-old Paglinawan was chosen to represent the Philippines in the video-making contest after he was shortlisted from over a hundred applicants for this year's competition.

As a finalist, he joined a four-day video training workshop jointly organized by the ASEAN Foundation, ASEAN Senior Officials Meeting on Youth, and Cambodia's Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport, and supported by the US Agency for International Development.

At the workshop, the youth representatives from nine ASEAN countries were able to learn skills related to filmmaking, including photography, videography, and editing. Paglinawan then had the opportunity to shared with the world his output through the ASEAN YouTube Channel.

This year's contest theme, "Youth Addressing Challenges Together – Stay Dynamic in the Time of Pandemic: ACT Now!", aimed to empower the youth from the region to channel their creative talents, skills, and energy to express their own perceptions and understanding of being part of the ASEAN community and the role of the youth in community-building.

By using interactive media, the participants, including Paglinawan, were able to share their reflections on and experiences in responding to the challenges posed by the global pandemic and the post-pandemic recovery.

Paglinawan's award-winning video can be watched on the ASEAN Foundation YouTube Channel: https://youtu.be/aJZEF2RPkvA.