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11-year-old Pinay does PHL proud in intl letter-writing contest
Ashley Nicole Abalos was accompanied by her grandmother, Carlos Palanca Foundation director general Sylvia Palanca-Quirino, when she received a plaque from PHLPost Chairman Cesar Sarino, Postmaster General Josefina Dela Cruz, Education Secretary Armin Luistro, and Komisyon ng Wikang Filipino Commissioner Virgilio S. Almario when she won first prize in the national contest in March. She took bronze in the international competition. Photo courtesy of the Philippine Postal Corporation
The Philippine Postal Corporation on Thursday announced that Ashley Nicole Abalos took bronze at the International Letter-Writing Competition for Young People organized by the Universal Postal Union (UPU), a specialized agency of the United Nations.
Abalos, 11, is a student from PAREF-Woodrose School in Muntinlupa City.
Winning the top prize is a 13-year-old from Bosnia and Herzegovina. The second prize winner is a 10-year-old from China.
The winners will receive their prizes on October 9, the anniversary of UPU’s foundation, to form part of World Post Day.
Some 1.5 million young people participated in this year’s contest, whose theme was to "write a letter describing how music can touch lives.”
“The winning of the Philippines through Ashley makes this an exciting time for us,” said Postmaster General Josefina dela Cruz.
Letter to blind musician
PHLPost said Abalos' letter was addressed to a blind musician she heard at a public concert.
“Music is not music until it is shared. Through your music, you are able to open the eyes of many even if you yourself cannot see,” it quoted her as saying in her letter.
This prompted the international jury to praise her letter, which it said was "written with great sincerity."
PHLPost quoted the jury as saying Abalos' composition was "full of emotions and genuine reflections" that "captured the magic of music to connect people.”
The competition was created by the 1969 Tokyo Congress and officially launched in 1971.
Millions of young people all over the world aged 15 and below have participated in the competition at national and international levels.
UPU establishes a theme annually, with participating countries choosing an entry for the UPU international competition.
“The contest not only harnesses the skills of young people in letter-writing, but is a great way to make the youth aware of the significance of the postal sector, as being strengthened by the UPU and the re-engineering efforts of PHLPost,” dela Cruz said. — Joel Locsin/BM, GMA News
