A silver medal as well as three Medallions for Excellence were awarded to the country's team at the recently-concluded 13th WorldSkills ASEAN Competition held at Suntec Singapore Convention and Exhibition Center in Singapore. *(Photo courtesy of TESDA/Manila Bulletin)* According to the Technical Education Skills Development Authority (TESDA), Competitor Ana Claire Hernandez brought home a silver medal in the Graphic Design Technology skill area, finishing second behind Joanne Li of Singapore. Hernandez also received the Best of Nation Award having garnered the highest number of points among Philippine competitors. TESDA said that Hernandez shared that all of her hard work came to fruition after she won the silver medal. She advised all Filipino youth, particularly aspiring graphic designers to continue working hard to be better. “Sa susunod na competitors and other TESDA trainees, ang masasabi ko lang ‘wag kayong matakot, ‘wag kayong malungkot, [at] wag kayong panghinaan ng loob na sa una pangit yung gawa niyo (All I can tell the next competitors and TESDA trainees, don't fret at do not lose hope if your work's not too good)….[kasi] (because) the more you do, the more you get good,” she said. TESDA Secretary Suharto T. Mangudadatu lauded the winners and the rest of the Philippine delegation including the experts for bringing pride to the country after their successful finish in the ASEAN WorldSkills Competition. “I would like to congratulate everyone from the Philippine delegation, for the dedication and hard work you displayed from the start of your training until the end of the competition,” Mangudadatu said. “You have shown the world that Filipino excellence in the tech-voc field knows no limits, and our skilled professionals are indeed world-class,” he added. Meanwhile, aside from the silver medal, the Philippine team also brought three Medallions for Excellence home. These were awarded to Gwyneth Nicole Abarquez of Restaurant Service, Cristian Lasaruz Asanza of Electrical Installation, and Allen Gacweng of Cooking. The Medallion for Excellence is granted to competitors whose performance meets the international standards based on the criteria set by WorldSkills International. The Philippines participated in various skill areas such as Automobile Technology, Beauty Therapy, Cooking, Electrical Installation, Electronics, Fashion Technology, Graphic Design Technology, Hairdressing, Information Network Cabling, Internet-of-Things, IT Network System Administration, IT Software Solutions for Business, Mechanical Engineering CAD, Mechatronics, Mobile Robotics, Rapid Transit System, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning, Restaurant Service, and Web Technology. The biennial WorldSkills ASEAN Competition gathers youth from Southeast Asia to showcase their talents and abilities in various skill categories. It aims to promote and upgrade skills standards in the ASEAN region to an international level and motivate youths to develop their skills to meet international standards. The last time that the country medaled at the prestigious international skills competition was in 2018, when Philippine competitors brought home 1 silver medal in Visual Graphic Technology, and 2 bronzes in Refrigeration & Air Conditioning and Hairdressing. The 13th WorldSkills ASEAN Competition was initially set for July 2020 but was rescheduled to July 18 to 28, 2023 due to the pandemic.