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From all over the country, 338 contestants submitted anonymous and
coded entries to compete in the first Manila Times National
Essay-Writing Contest held from September 1 to December 15, 2007.
Students and out-of-school youth contestants
were invited to write on the theme “What would it take for the
Philippines to be a developed country?” There were two categories,
Category A for contestants 12 to 15 years old and Category B for
contestants 16 to 20 years old.
There were 158 entries in category A and 180
entries in category B.
Category A attracted 113 female and 45 male
contestants. Category B had 98 female and 92 male contestants.
Contestants in Category A came from 48 schools.
Those in Category B came from 73 schools. Contestants came from as
far in the north as St. Louis University in Tuguegarao, Cagayan, to
as far in the south as Sulu State College in Sulu.
Actually, 350 entries were received. But 22
entries were disqualified for not abiding by the rules.
The Board of Judges was headed by Dr. Fe
Hidalgo, who had served as acting secretary of Education. She is now
the president of The Manila Times Educational System.
Its members were Rony V. Diaz, vice-chairman of
the board of The Manila Times College, who is a Palanca award winner
and former publisher of The Manila Times; and Dr. Bienvenido Lumbera,
a National Artist for Literature.
It was originally planned to have only one
winner each in the two categories but the judges decided to pick
second- and third-prize winners.
The main sponsor of the contest was Real Bank.
Mr. Jose G. Araullo, president of Real Bank, believes that positive
values such as frugality, simple living and hard work have to be
inculcated in the youth.
At the awarding ceremony held at The Manila
Times College on Friday, February 22, Dr. Fe Hidalgo said, in the
course of congratulating the winners, “it was very refreshing to
note the bright ideas of our youth, their dreams for the country and
their vision of this country’s future.”
The winners received cash prizes and gifts. The
first-prize winners are published today and the second- and
third-place essays will be published in subsequent editions of The
Times.
“It was regrettable that in a competition,
only a few have to selected as winners,” said Dante “Klink”
Ang 2nd, president and chief executive officer and executive editor
of The Times. The caliber of the writing was high, he added, and
because of that, many more than six selected actually deserve to be
winners.
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