A high school student from the Bicol Region is set to compete in Myanmar later this year after winning the 10th ASEAN Quiz National Competition this month, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said.
In a statement, the DFA said that Armela Persia from the Donsol National Comprehensive School bagged first place in the competition held at the PTV studios in Quezon City on May 19. She took home a cash prize of P50,000 and an STI College scholarship.
Second place went to Brian James Cerdeña of Pinagbuhatan High School in Pasig City, while third place went to Key Calpito of Cabarroguis National School of Arts and Trades in the province of Quirino. They each walked away with P30,000 and P20,000, respectively, and four-year scholarships from STI College.
The contest saw 16 champions from each of the country's regions competing in a series of tests on their general knowledge of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The three winners will represent the Philippines at the Regional Level of the 10th ASEAN Quiz in Myanmar later this year.
In his closing remarks at the event, DFA Assistant Secretary for ASEAN Affairs Daniel Espiritu noted how the Philippines was the first to conceptualize and propose the ASEAN Quiz as a regional initiative.
He said the Philippines is "truly proud of how its youth have performed" in the previous nine iterations, with Philippine teams consistently placing at or near the top of the rankings.
The Quiz is held every two years, rotating among the different Member-States of ASEAN. It is designed to raise ASEAN awareness among the region's youth in a friendly competition setting.
The ASEAN Quiz is a project of the ASEAN Committee on Culture and Information and the People's Television Network, in partnership with the DFA, the Department of Education (DepEd), the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO), the Philippine Information Agency (PIA), and Radyo Pilipinas.
The delayed telecast of the 10th ASEAN Quiz National Competition will be aired on PTV and its provincial stations on June 4.