Children from the Cities of Danao, Talisay Top this Year’s Regional Children’s Contest

The cities of Danao and Talisay dominated this year’s Regional Children’s Contest (RCC) spearheaded by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Field Offce VII.

RCC is an annual event of DSWD-7 that culminates the Children’s Month Celebration every November.

This year’s celebration carries the theme “Isulong: Kalidad na Edukasyon Para sa Lahat ng Bata! responding to the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) No. 4, which is to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote life-long learning opportunities to all.

DSWD-7 Regional Director Ma. Evelyn Macapobre stressed that education plays an important role in helping children develop their potentials, be able to engage meaningfully and build resilience.

Macapobre also said that the event held at the University of Southern Philippines Foundation is extra meaningful to her because it is here where she was educated as a social worker.

“Our theme underscores the importance of education and it is here where I was nurtured to become a social worker I am today,” she said.

Meanwhile, Macapobre headed the awarding ceremony together with other DSWD-7 top officials and invited guests.

With only a week preparation, the Danao City day care children topped this year’s folk dance competition through their “Bakya” dance that was performed by 10 children from Barangay Maslog. The group emerged as the grand winner out of the 11 contingents.

Other winners were Cebu City (2nd place) and Mandaue City (3rd place).

They respectively took home Php 10,000.00, Php 8,000.00 and Php 6,000.00 as cash prizes.

Eddie Almasin, the choreographer of the said presentation shared that even if they only had one week to practice the presentation, the children and their parents were all supportive making it easy for him to do his job.

Almasin disclosed that teaching children how to dance is not new to him because he has been doing it for nine years but this year is very special because finally they won the top prize.

“We have represented Danao City during the regional search for three years now and I didn’t expect us to win. All I want was to see the children perform their routine well,” he said.

Criteria of the folk dance category include skill and mastery of performance (25%), stage projection, grace and poise (30%), authenticity of the costume and music (15%), and relevance to the theme (30%).

Aside from winning the folk dance category, Danao City through Kent Bryle Plamos also won the top prize for the draw and tell category. Other winners were Czea Skyrah Niez of Siquijor, Siquijor (2nd place) and Shentelle Arcilla of Cebu City (3rd place).

Meanwhile, Chez Ferdi Hunter Cabaluna of Talisay City topped the singing competition while Karmel Rose Chiong of Naga City and Gerlyn Jane Lalem of San Juan, Siquijor emerged as the second and third placer.

Each of the top three winners of the draw and tell and singing category went home with Php 5,000.00, Php 4,000.00 and Php 3,000.00. All winners were given merchandise courtesy of the Regional Federation of Day Care Workers and Taisho Pharmaceuticals Philippines Inc.

Non-winners were given consolation prizes and early Christmas gifts.