An Indigenous People (IP) from Don Salvador Benedicto in Negros Occidental was the first in the history of the province that passed the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) Level 3 or N3 in Miyazaki Prefecture, Japan.

Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson lauded Darlyn Rebatado Blancia of Barangay Kumaliskis, for being the first IP to pass N3. 
 

Blancia is a recipient of the Negros Occidental Scholarship Program under the Assistance to Grade 10 students in Miyakonojo Higashi High School, Japan, category.

Passing the exam indicates a significant understanding of upper-intermediate Japanese that can be beneficial to corporate and academic endeavors.

Lacson said this is a tangible indicator that the provincial government is doing its best to give equal access to educational opportunities to less privileged but deserving students in Negros Occidental.

Blancia is the youngest among five siblings. She grew up living a simple life with her mother, Merlinda, who raised her, along with her siblings, singlehandedly, after they were abandoned by their father more than a decade ago. 

They lived in a makeshift and dilapidated house with only one room that was utilized as kitchen by day and bedroom by night. Her mother worked as house helper to support her and her siblings.

She was only 15 years old when she applied for a scholarship in Japan in 2018. 

When Blancia was chosen as one of the scholars for Japan, she was full of hope knowing that she will be able to give her mother a brighter future.  

On February 20, 2021, she will be graduating from Miyakonojo Higashi High School and will continue her studies at the Houshin School of Healthcare for two years. 

Now that she is 18 years old, she will be able to work part-time while studying at Houshin so that she can support herself in Japan.