If I knew that the first prize for the 34th Nihongo Speech Contest, held last Saturday during the 2007 Nihongo Fiesta, was an all-expense paid trip to Japan (courtesy of Japan Airlines), I would have dug up my old speech piece and entered the darn contest myself!

All I could do was gnaw at my bottom lip last Saturday as I trained my lens on the happy teary-eyed winners posing for both the amateur and professional photographers happily clicking away in front of them. Yeah, I was picturing that I was the one holding the gigantic JAL ticket on stage with H.E. Ryuichiro Yamazaki, the Ambassador of Japan to the Philippines by my side. It actually made the whole ordeal bearable.

Bitterness aside, I’d just like to say congratulations to all the participants and most especially to the winners! You may have gotten the tickets, but I’m still pretty!

Student Division

1st Place
Mr. Arnel P. Solis (Mindanao Kokusai Daigaku)
“Learning and Sharing”

2nd Place
Ms. Bernadette Mae M. Barrera (Philippine Women’s College of Davao)
“Goodbye, Japan! Thank you, Japan!”

3rd Place
Ms. Steffanie G. Tan (De La Salle University, Manila)
“Discussion and Quarrel”

Participants
Ms. Frances Mae A. Serenio (University of San Carlos)
Ms. Key Ann V. Caindoy (The University of Manila)
Mr. Miguel Leo V. Tapia (Mindanao Kokusai Daigaku)

Open Division

1st Place
Ms. Gina A. Taclob (Philippine Women’s College of Davao)
“My Husband Gave Me a Life”

2nd Place
Ms. Ma. Clarissa H. Lazaro (De La Salle University, Manila)
“Career? Money? Relationship? What Matters Most?”

3rd Place
Ms. Jann Lauree Liz M. Tagud (Mindanao Kokusai Daigaku/Philippine Nikkei Jin-Kai)
“What is Affluent?”

Special Jury Award
Mr. John Mervil DC. Ambito (University of the Philippines, ITTC)
“Thank You, Mother”

Participants
Mr. Nepthaly C. Talavera (Advanced World Systems, Inc.)
Ms. Catherine B. Diomampo (University of the Philippines, Diliman)
Ms. Terri-Ann G. Dela Cruz (Advanced World Systems, Inc.)
Mr. Alvin Fernandez (NEC Telecom Software Philippines, Inc.)

Panel of Judges
Ms. Hiroko Taniguchi
Director
Japan Information and Cultural Center, Embassy of Japan

Mr. Yutaka Kagaya
Vice-President
The Japanese Association Manila, Inc.

Ms. Delia Balite-Fernandez
Former Information Officer and Attache
Embassy fo the Republic of the Philippines, Japan

Ms. Fumiko Endo
Manila Bureau Chief
Yomiuri Shimbun

Mr. Tsutomu ‘Ben’ Suzuki
Director
The Japan Foundation, Manila

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