DENR kid tops WV model of Unilever
Jeric Prince M. Ladores was chosen as one of the top ten models of UNILEVER Philippines in its latest Best Food promo campaign. Jeric is seven years old, Grade I, first honor student of A. Montes Elementary School who graduated from his kinder school at the Department of Environment and Natural Resources Gender and Development Day Care Center. As a student of the Day Care he was proclaimed as Best in Mathematics and Fast Reader consistently during his Kinder I and Kinder II level.
The son of Thomas B. Ladores and Shellane M. Ladores, Jeric showed his alertness and vibrant attitude when he was in his kinder days. He used to recite and sing during school programs and could emote well during recitations. His parents are the ones who managed the DENR canteen under the employ of the DENR Employees Multi-purpose Cooperative (DEMCO) that gave them a chance to enroll for free all their three boys at the Day Care Center. It should be noted that most of the graduates of the DENR Day Care Center had excelled in their elementary grade level.
Jeric is one of the friendliest students at the Day Care Center. During free time he used to go around the office and at a young age had helped his parents do their job by delivering soft drinks to the employees' workplace during break time. He had gained many friends among the children of the DENR employees and also among the employees because of his singing talent.
Selection process
As told by his mother Shellane, Jeric was selected as one of the two models in Western Visayas for the Best Food products of UNILEVER Philippines through sheer luck. In one occasion, the family was doing some shopping at the Robinson's Mall at Ledesma St., Iloilo City when they happened to peep over a crowded area at the mall. To fill their curiosity, Shellane ask some bystanders about the activity that seemed to draw many kids around. They were told that the UNILEVER Philippines is auditioning six to nine year old kids to become their model for a new product. The informer further said that for every P60.00 worth of Best Food products, one is entitled to audition one child.
At that time, both Thomas and Shellane had brought along their three boys and they immediately bought some best food products and let their three kids join the audition. The kids are made to go inside a booth where they are filmed endorsing the product by eating the sandwich filled with best food fillings then let them say the words like "its tasty" (ang sarap). Fortunately two of their sons qualified the audition. Then those who qualified for photogenic qualities were made to perform any talent. The first son rendered a beautiful song but Jeric performed a modeling "papogi" stunt. When Unilever called the names of the lucky kids, Shellane could not believe that Jeric was one of the two who were selected among the 303 aspirants.
According to the UNILEVER management, they had already selected the top ten from among the almost 2,000 kids from all over the Philippines and two came from Western Visayas. The ten kids will be paid as models at P58,000.00 per modeling contract with free transportation to Manila and back to their place of residence. They are required to get an employment permit from the Department of Labor and Employment. They are also entitled to free transportation of one parent as chaperone and to manage their activities and well being, and free food and accommodation while the children are on a working time. The company also provides dresses of the models.
What makes this exciting for the parents is that among the ten models, a top model will be selected through public participation. The public are enjoined to make a vote for the best kid by sending in their votes through any best food product label and send it to the drop boxes of UNILEVER Philippines throughout the Philippines. The pictures of the kids are placed in a poster posted in supermarkets as their promo advertisement. The top kid will be given a free trip to Disneyland in Hongkong with his/her chaperone. In addition, he will be receiving P800,000.00 worth of cash prize and other opportunities for TV exposure. To give motivation to the voters, if the kid you voted will be selected as the best kid, your vote will be raffled and the home partner will also receive a cash prize.
Hope for Jeric
When the whole DENR Region VI Office heard this, they were elated to know that the fruit of their Day Care Center is gaining ground. The employees vowed to help Jeric in every way they can. Mr. and Mrs. Ladores said that since they are just ordinary laborers, they cannot assure that they can buy many best food products to add to the votes for Jeric; however, they are very thankful that their child had come this far. They are just wary about the effect of this honor and fame to their son's normal growth as a child. They only pray that many will support their son so that at least this will give him an opportunity to earn his own money for his education.
Thomas and Shellane are just ordinary people living ordinary lives. Their meager income is not even enough for the daily needs of their three sons. Their residence at Duran St. is shared by some of their relatives. If Jeric can make it to the top, this will at least assure his own education and his siblings since both parents could not afford a higher education at present.
Jeric's luck emanated from his early training as a talented boy. His father Thomas has a good singing voice and the three children are exposed to the microphone almost every night in their homes, honing their own singing talent. Jeric's mother, Shellane, is a Spanish mestiza, fair complexion, and have a stunning beauty that was inherited by Jeric. Beauty and brain is Jeric's passport to his selection as a model for Best Food product.
The whole Western Visayas will be proud for Jeric if he can make it to the top. His success depends on the votes of his friends and those who believe that their votes can help Jeric to fulfill his good future. The DENR is very proud of his success not because he won but because, the DENR Gender and Development had produced a son that is worth emulating. Congratulations and Good Luck to Jeric Prince Ladores.
At present Jeric is here once again going around the DENR Regional compound, always happy and active. When asked about his feat as a model boy, he rattles like a jubilant normal boy and telling everyone, "I will be exposed on TV on May 17. Watch it".