Kamusta ka? It is an automatic, friendly quick “check” of another’s well-being at the time of contact. So, how are we, really?
We all know that no one can survive without what nature provides. Our “well-being” is not independent of the air, food and soil, and other elements of nature that we are connected to. So, when we ask our fellow Filipinos—”kamusta ka?“—it should also refer to what sustains our lives, the working connections of living and non-living elements of nature which is “biodiversity”. So how is our Philippine biodiversity?
Just as MIND S-COOL TV Season 3 convinced you that you are biodiversity and biodiversity is you, Season 4 brings you onboard a revelatory 6-episode adventure to prove to you that you are okay ONLY IF nature is ok.
In Season 4, you will discover a very unique “OK Clinic” where you get to see what ails our Philippine biodiversity and how these are seriously affecting our health as Filipinos. Just as when you have a check-up to see if your heart, lungs, kidneys, and other vital systems are working well, you will get to zoom in on the habitats—forests, wetlands, and the seas—to get to understand that these are the natural lifelines we have and that destroying them will spell tragedies for what we thought was only our “personal” health.
These “check-up” adventures that our questers Mikee and Pecier will live out across the 6 episodes, will be punctuated by the presence of the “doctors” who study and check on “biodiversity”. They are namely Kuya Aldrin, ecologist of the “OK Clinic”, Ate Rina, the “head banker” of a very different kind of bank called “Samu’t Saring Bangko ng Buhay.” And of course, Manong G (which stands for “genius guard”), the mysteriously mindful “guard” of MIND S-COOL will be issuing his flashes of wisdom to the MIND S-COOL barkada in all these episodes.
The last 2 episodes of Season 4 will also empower viewers to discover that the treatments and cures for what ails Philippine biodiversity are within our reach. We can save ourselves by saving our biodiversity, and Season 4 will show audiences the powerful, creative, and even fun ways we can do with our families, friends, and community to chart our way towards positive health in this wondrous and beautiful archipelagic spot on this planet!
Just as with Season 3 where MIND S-COOL TV creatively showed that “I am biodiversity and biodiversity is me”, Season 4 was also mindfully created by an all-Filipino team of creatives in partnership with the Sustainable Interventions for Biodiversity, Oceans, and Landscapes (SIBOL) Activity of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
Greatly inspired by the ratings of Season 3 which showed very strong shared viewership among Filipino families with over 2.2 million views and being the only science show in Nielsen’s ratings top 5 educational show, Season 4 was conceived and executed with the same passion and clarity to deliver the message: WE are OK ONLY IF BIODIVERSITY IS OK.
MIND S-COOL TV Season 4 also makes use of imaginative set designs and engaging science communication techniques, expertly honed by the team of the Bonifacio Art Foundation, Inc., a non-stock, non-profit science and art foundation that conceived and operates The Mind Museum, a science museum, and the BGC Arts Center.
“We may be splintered by many opinions in our politics and social lives BUT no one will survive without nature. There should be no debate about that if you live, breathe and eat. Our health and lives are literally at stake if we do not have a shared understanding of how our human lives are intricately connected with biodiversity – which is the way nature is structured and how it works to serve our lives. MIND S-COOL is our creative and concrete contribution to this vital understanding and we remain grateful for the USAID-SIBOL partnership to get this message across and hopefully imbibed by Filipino families.” says Maria Isabel Garcia, Managing Director and Curator of the BAFI.
With this new season of MIND S-COOL, SIBOL “hopes that the message of environmental conservation in oceans and landscapes facilitates a deeper understanding with a wider audience. We hope that they will value our biodiversity, oceans, and landscapes and their inherent capacity to sustainably supply ecosystem services for their benefit and the development of communities”, the project noted.
MIND S-COOL TV Premiere of Season 4 airs on Cignal TV’s ONE PH Ch.1 on June 26, Sunday, 11 am and 4:30 pm (Philippines). It can also be streamed on the Mind S-Cool YouTube channel.
Visit themindmuseum.org and bgcartscenter.org to know more.
