Students of the International Philippine School in Al-Khobar(IPSA) and Philippine School Doha (PSD) bagged first place in the art and literary competition for young children of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) in the Middle East.
IPSA’s Diana Mae R. Utlang (3rd year high school) and Juliana Beatriz P. Yamsuan (5th Grade)won first place in art; while PSD’s Julienne Q. Bautista (4th year) and Anne Loren E. Comia(6th Grade) won first in literary.
With the theme, “Art as Reality: Young Lives in Transition”, the competitionwas launched by the Philippine Embassy in Muscat, Oman for children of overseas Filipinos in the Gulf region. It aimed to providethe children an opportunity to illustrate their experiences of embracing a new life in the Middle East through art, essays and poems. Over 550 students from 21 different Philippine Schools in Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates, participated in the competition.
Filipino writers Prof. Isagani R. Cruz, Merlie M. Alunan and Marjorie Evasco; NCCA visual artists Alma Quinto and SalvadorConvocar; and Adonis Durado, visual artist and poet based in Oman, served as the judges.
Julienne Bautista’s essay “demonstrates good narrative skills and a sense of structure of her journey to Qatar,” notedMs.Evasco. “Her tale maps her adjustments to the Arab culture, guided by her father’s advice to be considerate and sensitive to the mores of the culture. This enabled her to learn how to appreciate Arab culture, as well as gain a clearer perspective of the lives of OFWs”.
“The chosen pieces,” Ms. Alunan wrote, “are generally distinguished by freshness and specificity of observation, use of concrete details, and sincerity.”
The winning entries and otherwork submissions will be displayed at an art exhibit and published in a coffee table book produced by the Philippine Embassy in Muscat in cooperation with the Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO), National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA); AMA Education System, Metrobank Foundation, Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth), Pag-IBIG Fund, and Social Security System of the Philippines (SSS).
As provider of benefits to Filipino workers, the four government agencies/corporations were sought for their support as major sponsors in this project.
