On May 10, 2010, Charice will be turning 18 years old, and during the past few months, Charice and her Mommy Raquel have been casually mentioning the possibility of having a “debut” at their Tagaytay residence in the Philippines to celebrate the occasion. In the Filipino culture, a “debut” is a formal party that is embedded with rituals that signify rites of passage towards “womanhood” – or in a way, “adulthood”. But last January 15, when Mommy Raquel was in Charicemania’s chatroom, she mentioned that she will be making an announcement about Charice’s upcoming birthday.

On January 22, through an email confirmation to Charicemania, Mommy Raquel confirmed the news that was spreading through the grapevine – that instead of a “Debut Party,” Charice has decided to celebrate her 18th birthday with children in charitable organizations in the Philippines (Bantay Bata and World Vision) as well as an orphanage in her hometown in Laguna. Charice is well aware that many of these children do not have the chance nor means to see her perform in person, so she wants to go and sing for them instead. (In lieu of birthday gifts, Chasters are also welcome to donate to these organizations).

It is interesting to note that Charice has been supporting many charitable organizations in varying ways. In the United States, she has been making the rounds, performing at numerous charity events for the past couple of years. Recently, she was even named the Youth Ambassador of Operation Smile.

In the Philippines, Charice has been supporting Bantay Bata (Child Watch) 163, which is sponsored by the local television station she is affiliated with. ”Bantay Bata 163 is a child welfare program of ABS-CBN Foundation that rehabilitates sick and abused children, but also provides shelter, therapy and quality home care for rescued children until they can be reunited with their families or referred to proper child-caring agencies. Bantay Bata 163 gives emphasis on the family through the following services: training and advocacy on child abuse prevention, rehabilitation of families in crisis, educational scholarships, livelihood, community outreach, and medical and dental missions” (taken from www.bantaybata163.com).

World Vision is another charitable organization Charice supports in the Philippines, wherein she shoulders the education of 7 children. “World Vision is a Christian humanitarian organization dedicated to working with children, families and their communities worldwide to reach their full potential by tackling the causes of poverty and injustice. World Vision provides hope and assistance to approximately 100 million people in nearly 100 countries. In communities around the world, World Vision joins with local people to find lasting ways to improve the lives of poor children and families. In 2008, 87 percent of World Vision’s total revenue was designated for programs that benefit children, families, and communities in need” (taken from www.worldvision.org).

It is not surprising that Charice can deeply empathize with children in need. It is common knowledge that Charice, her mother Raquel, and younger brother Carl struggled through their day-to-day existence. At a tender age of 7, she began joining singing contests to help put food on the table. So now, 10 years and more than 80 singing contests after, since they have withstood many trials and even surpassed their own dreams and expectations, her decision to spend her 18th birthday singing for children who represent her own childhood, seems to truly be a more meaningful rite of passage.

Written by DrTP

*** Note: For those interested in supporting Charice reach out to the less fortunate children in the Philippines, we will publish information providing ways to donate to the institutions she will be visiting on her birthday.

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