By JOENALD MEDINA RAYOS
A TOTAL of five (5) sons and daughters of Batangueño Overseas Filipino Workers were picked as finalists to the ECMI 10thGawadAnak OFW while 17 others are qualified for the 1st Luzon Migration Quiz Bee Finals slated on March 20.
The Episcopal Commission for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant Peoples (ECMI) of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) released on Friday the names of the finalists from both elementary and junior high schools for the Ten Outstanding Sons and Daughters of OFW Student Achievers Awards (TOSDOSA) whose final interview and awarding will also be held on March 20.
Three (3) among the 10 finalists for Elementary Level nationwide are from the Archdiocese of Lipa that comprises th whole province of Batangas, namely – Alex Anthony L. Andal of Lipa City and whose father works in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA); Kim A. Bulanhagui of Bauan, Batangas whose father is a worldwide seafarer; and Jana G. Mendoza of Taal, Batangas whose mother is working in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
For the Junior High School Level, only eight (8) made it to the finals and two of them are also from Batangas – Czarlise P. De Castro of Taal and Shena Mae R. Comia of Batangas City. Their fathers are working in the UAE and KSA, respectively.
Said finalists were evaluated based on the submitted documents from their respective archdioceses/dioceses (60%) and will have their final ranking after the interview (40%0 on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, the pilot episode of the 1st Luzon Migration Quiz Bee Finals will also commence on Tuesday. A total of 52 Junior High School Qualifiers from Four Pilot Dioceses (Alaminos (Pangasinan) – 5, Lipa (Batangas) – 17, Antipolo (Rizal-Marikina) – 12, and San Fernando (Pampanga) -18 will compete for the top honors.
Migration Quiz Bee intends to raise consciousness and awareness among the young generation on the different issues and concerns on migration. The Final Interview and Awarding Ceremony will be both held on March 20 at the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, Intramuros, Manila.
The annual ‘GawadAnak OFW’ organized by the CBCP- ECMI was conceptualized in support of the family of OFWs. It acknowledges skilled and outstanding students from various elementary and high schools nationwide.
Last year, Kiana Carlyn Silang from Our Lady of Caysasay Academy in Batangas won the first place in the elementary level while Aisha Cruz Said from Pilar College of Zamboanga City, garnered the top award for the high school category.
This 10th ‘GawadAnak OFW: TOSDOSA’ will serve as a reunion for all awardees since the beginning, and will be an opportunity to highlight the success stories of the awardees.
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