27 May 2010 – Philippine Ambassador to Seoul Luis T. Cruz announced today that Mr. Christian Romero, an employee of the Samsung Corporate Research and Development Institute, won the embassy-sponsored essay-writing contest held from February to April 2010 as part of activities to commemorate the 149th anniversary of Dr. Jose Rizal’s birthday on 19 June 2010.

Mr. Romero bested other contestants under Category B of the essay-writing contest, which focused on the theme Finding Jose Rizal in South Korea: A Migrant’s Perspective. The category was open to all migrant Filipinos in South Korea, including students, workers and spouses of Korean nationals. In his essay, Mr. Romero discussed how it was like for Rizal as a migrant Filipino during his time and compared Rizal’s experiences with the present situation of OFWs. “[Today,] access to emigration is seen by many as the only viable way out of poverty... While most of us found financial liberty abroad, Rizal found intellectual freedom and enlightenment,” Mr. Romero wrote, asserting that “from [Rizal’s] time until today, poverty is still an enemy that enslaves our nation.” Mr. Romero emphasized that Rizal, too, found difficulties as a migrant. “Just like the migrants I knew from the international migrant center in my small Filipino community, Rizal had his own false expectations and was also likely a victim of circumstances,” he stated. Mr. Romero, a native of Pangasinan, has been living in South Korea for three years. He learned of the contest while gathering information about the Overseas Absentee Voting from the embassy’s website. “With his experience as a migrant, Rizal found a door to vast opportunities,” narrated Mr. Romero, adding that Rizal dedicated himself to learning and eventually returned to the Philippines with maturity, fully armed to face challenges and defeat the enemy. “If every Filipino will take rigid adhesion to Rizal’s own perspective as a migrant … perhaps we can be set free from the enemy,” he concluded. Other winners were Mr. Alfonso Delgado, who wrote, in Tagalog, a fictional letter by Rizal addressed to OFWs that landed him in second place. Mr. Vicente Angel Ybiernas and Mr. Inrico Orbe, who tied for third place, identified attributes common between Rizal and migrant Filipinos, such as perseverance and a drive for excellence. Meanwhile, Category A of the essay-writing contest was open to Korean nationals who were required to write about The Philippines and the Korean War in commemoration of the 60th Anniversary of the Korean War this year. The Philippines deployed more than 7,000 soldiers to help in the defense of South Korea from 1950 to 1955. Mr. Kim Jae-ho, Mr. Lee San-ha and Ms. Kyu Moon-na won first, second and third places, respectively. Mr. Kim called for greater cooperation between the Philippines and South Korea, recalling the bond that had formed between the two countries over the years. He traced the development of ties from military collaboration in the past to a comprehensive partnership today that included robust trade and people-to-people exchange. The top winners from both categories will each receive a Medal of Academic Excellence from the Office of the President, a roundtrip ticket to the Philippines and a cash prize, while the runners-up will receive a Certificate of Excellence from the Philippine Embassy in South Korea. The Awarding Ceremony will take place at the Seoul Global Center on 19 June 2010, Jose Rizal’s birthday. The essay-writing contest was conducted in partnership with the Philippine Daily Inquirer, the Resource Persons Group (an association of Filipino professors based in South Korea), the Seoul Global Center, Philippine Airlines and Cebu Pacific.