A student from a secondary school in Tabuk, Kalinga won the top prize in an essay-writing competition organized by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). Angel Joy Orpilla, 15 years old and a student from Tabuk City National High School bested 170 other students from all over the Philippines with her piece titled "Dumanay Meets Jica". Orpilla, along with the other winners in the writing tilt, received cash awards and certificates from the Japanese agency.
JICA conducted the writing competition to commemorate the 60th anniversary of economic cooperation between Japan and the Philippines. The contest was opened for Filipino students aged between 11 and 16. It carried the theme "The lives of people in the Philippines and Japanese ODA." The ODA is an acronym for official development assistance. The awarding ceremony was held last August 7 at the Sofitel Sunset Pavilion in Manila.
In his column for the Philippine Star, Alfred Yuson who was among the judges in the writing contest, admired Orpilla's piece saying, "I recall marveling at the way the first-prize winner had chosen to craft her essay, in dramatic fashion, as a narrative. It was what made Angel Joy K. Orpilla’s essay stand out. And what a pleasant surprise to learn that she was from the Cordilleras."
Angel Joy Orpilla. Photo by Alfred Yuson via the Philippine Star. |
The other winners in the contest are Luis Antonio Valdez, Katherine Anne Del Rosario, Krystel Iris De Castro, Theresa Mae Villanueva, Apple Jean Dulig, Elaine Espirin, Millen Sidney Paderes, Claire Banganan and Khaleila Daine Luyaben. You can read all of the top ten entries at the JICA website.