Nominations open for bright, gifted youth who could be ‘new Jose Rizals’

The last week of November was declared as National Week for the Gifted and Talented by former President and incumbent Manila mayor Joseph Estrada through Presidential Proclamation No. 199 signed on Oct 19, 1999, in order to to raise awareness on gifted Filipinos.

This year, an advocacy group kicked off the celebration with the launch of the search for the new generation of Jose Rizals.  

 

"Dr. Jose Rizal is the epitome of the Filipino gifted," said Dr. Leticia Peñano-Ho, the president of the Philippine Center for Gifted Education (PCGE), during the press conference of the National Week for the Gifted and Talented 2014 in Quezon City. 

 

This is why PCGE launched the Mga Bagong Rizal: Pag-asa ng Bayan Awards in 2011. The awards are a biennial nationwide search for bright and gifted young Filipinos who embody the essential characteristics of the country's national hero.

On its debut year—which was the year Rizal would have turned 150 years old—PCGE recognized 35 gifted Filipino youth. Now, the advocacy group is ready to find its third batch of new Jose Rizals. 

 

Ho said that there will only be 17 "bagong Rizals" for 2014, one awardee for each region.  

 

Requirements for nominees 

 

Nominees should be anywhere from Grade 3 to college level, from public or private schools or those taking up vocational course. Out-of-school-youth (OSY) showing exemplary traits are also qualified. 

 

Nominees should also be part of the top five percent of their class. In the case of OSYs, they should be part of the top 5 percent of the last class they attended. 

 

Or, the nominees have been recognized for outstanding ability or excellence in any of the fields as confirmed by awards from reputable organizations:

 

 

But being gifted or excellent in a field or two is just one part of the criteria. Ho said that the nominees should also exhibit passion and love of country, just like Jose Rizal. 

 

Nominations for Mga Bagong Rizal: Pag-asa ng Bayan Awards will be accepted from December 1, 2014 until March 14, 2015.  

 

Filipinos residing in the Philippines, schools, communities, religious groups, government agencies, and other organizations are all welcome to nominate their candidates. 

 

Other activities 

 

Aside from opening Mga Bagong Rizal nominations, PCGE is also set to hold a seminar workshop on counseling the gifted at the UP College of Education on November 29. The group will conclude the week-long celebration with a kite-flying event at the Quezon Memorial Circle on November 30. — VC, GMA News

 

For more information on the Mga Bagong Rizal nominations and events National Week for the Gifted and Talented, visit the website.