Kian, forever 17

The ongoing 38th Manila International Book Fair at the SMX Convention Center is happily drawing the usual large crowd of book buyers and school groups—newsworthy in itself. But consider this a sign of the times: My current favorite children’s book will not be available in any of the 500-plus booths there, only online now.

I have just read and been so moved by “Si Kian” written by Weng Cahiles, illustrated by Aldy Aguirre, translated into English by Ramon C. Sunico, with research by journalist Kimberly dela Cruz, edited by Sheila S. Coronel, and produced by The PCIJ Story Project. The Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism has been the leading such institution in the country. We are familiar with Kian’s story as the news media have reported it, but there is nothing like a well-written story that weaves touching human interest details into a straightforward account.

The story opens on a Wednesday, Kian’s first day of exams. He is the only one walking home, keeping pace with his classmates who are all either on bikes or motorbikes. But he remembers his Saudi-based mother and her promise of a bike and a helmet with a P4,500 remittal. The reader gets to know the 17-year-old Grade 12 student better: how he is known to be a class jester, making even his teacher laugh with excuses for his tardiness (because he gave the family’s pet chicken a bath, or because their boat was stuck in traffic), and teasing his hospital-bound best friend, Lenard, as they looked out the latter’s window, “Everything your eyes can see … none of it is ours.” And yet, his leadership was recognized as he was the class peace officer. His dream was well-known: “I really want to be a policeman so I can round up the drug addicts in our neighborhood.” He repeats his dream to be a cop as frequently as he does his longing to have his mother come home.

Illustrator Aguirre, known for his whimsical water colors, only has a dramatic streak of red for Kian’s final moments on the night of Wednesday to accompany the words: “The sound of gunfire shatters the darkness…. Never again would he walk alongside his classmates on their bikes. Never would he become a policeman. Never would he be with Nanay Elsa. Forever he would be 17.”

The story behind the book is equally interesting. It is the first product of the newly launched PCIJ Story Project, which invited proposals for innovative storytelling projects and experiments in nontraditional ways of telling the news using collaborations between journalists and artists. The call was made on Aug. 15 and Kian delos Santos was killed on Aug. 17. Coronel, one of the PCIJ founders and currently Columbia University’s dean of academic affairs and director of the Toni Stabile Center for Investigative Journalism, explains the rationale for it: “All over the world, journalists are looking for new ways to tell stories that engage audiences. We thought that it was time for PCIJ to do some more radical experiments in this field. The media landscape has changed dramatically and the old forms of storytelling no longer work as well as they should.” It is also a recognition that the audience for legacy news—“major broadcast TV networks and major national newspapers that have been in existence long before there was cable television”—is relying on online sources as well.

With Kian’s murder in the news, the PCIJ commissioned well-known names in children’s literature to write the story, collaborating with a journalist who interviewed about 30 people and gathered documents from the police and the Public

Attorney’s Office, aside from covering Kian’s wake and funeral. And an online book was born, published in a record three weeks. Not your traditional children’s story but an excellent one in English and Filipino for classroom discussions.

“Si Kian” may be read online free of charge on two platforms: Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/PCIJStoryProject/posts/714857588723898; Instagram: Instagram.com/pcijstoryproject

Submit proposals for The PCIJ Story Project. [email protected]. https://pcijstoryproject.org/the-pcij-story-project-9db1220d86b

Neni Sta. Romana Cruz ([email protected]) is chair of the National Book Development Board and a member of the Eggie Apostol Foundation.