Oct 12, 2026
Musikwela brings Filipino values to life through music, puppetry
Musikwela, a Filipino children's educational entertainment program that uses music, storytelling, puppetry and animation to teach values, will release five new episodes in November covering respect for elders, indigenous culture, autism awareness, disaster preparedness and environmental care.
The five 30-minute episodes, co-produced by Ideasquest Inc. and the National Council for Children's Television (NCCT), an attached agency of the Department of Education, aim to make learning more engaging while helping children understand social issues and appreciate Filipino traditions.
During a media launch, Musikwela founder and executive director Ellen Estrada said the program draws from personal experiences and real-life encounters to create stories that children can relate to and learn from.
“Most of the things you see are made by us. We made all the puppets and all the songs. Even the costumes were sewn in a small community in Las Piñas,” Estrada said, explaining how her team handled much of the creative work behind the production despite limited resources.
The new episodes feature the Musikscouts, composed of Estrada's daughter, Yumi Sansano, and three furry puppet characters, Potpot, Lala and Biboy. Through their adventures, the characters demonstrate how children can respond to problems by helping others and practicing values such as empathy, respect and responsibility.
Estrada said she hopes the stories will encourage children to look beyond their immediate surroundings and appreciate the diversity of Filipino communities.
“I realized how rich our cultures are and how much there is to learn about them. We are so rich. We just don't know it, and we just don't teach it,” she said.
“We may be scattered across thousands of islands, but that does not mean we can never be one,” she said.
Musikwela received support through an NCCT grant, while Ideasquest also contributed resources to complete the production.
“Filipinos can create a funny, child-friendly show, but we cannot do it alone. We want to bring it to schools. We want to do road shows. We want to partner with brands that believe we can do more to help our children.,” she said.
Beyond the five episodes, Estrada said she hopes to explore other subjects, including financial literacy. She believes children should learn early about empathy, respect, responsibility and the value of money.
She also encouraged students and aspiring creators to develop stories that reflect experiences and issues they genuinely care about.
“For a story to be meaningful to others, it must be meaningful to you first. It must affect you in some way,” she said.
The new episodes will be available in November through Musikwela's website and social media platforms, including Facebook and YouTube.
