Batangas student wins first place in nationwide essay writing contest

The tragic death of a beloved pet prompted student Mara Margaret Binay to express her sadness about people's lack of sympathy towards animals.

Her moving work won the first prize at the recently held WordWorks National Creative Writing Competition, the search for outstanding student writers from all over the country. Organized by Diwa Learning Systems Inc. (Diwa), the tilt offers a competitive space where budding wordsmiths can show their talent, creativity, and clarity of expression.

The junior high student from The Mabini Academy in Lipa City, Batangas openly expressed her thoughts about valuing animal life, which resonated with this year’s theme, “There Is No Excuse for Animal Abuse”.

“Mourning in the grave of my deceased pet, while sitting on the cold grass of the cemetery; the memory of him being abused while I was away bringing my tears to flow like a river,” she wrote.

She continued to express that perhaps life could be better understood if animals and humans reverse roles.

“When will people learn to value animal life? If we were tied in a parallel universe where animals dominate while we are the poor little creatures, then we might probably understand the essence of life itself. We would somehow understand how things have been hard for them, confused on how they could cope in this world dealing with the discrimination and the maltreatment of people,” she mused.

Joining her as winners in the second, third, fourth, and fifth spots are Jasper Andrew Arroyo from Colegio de las Hijas de Jesus in Iloilo City; Larrice Reyn Morelos from Lourdes College in Cagayan de Oro City; Gelmiek Genmhor Sta. Ana from The Mabini Academy in Lipa City, Batangas; and Kerem Christel Calope from Holy Name University in Tagbilaran City, Bohol, respectively.

The winning entries will be published in Magica, Diwa’s premier junior high school supplemental educational magazine in English. The winners received medals, certificates, and Diwa premium items.

The WordWorks National Creative Writing Competition has two major categories: the short story category for grade school, and the essay writing category for junior high school. For school year 2018-2019, a new digital component was introduced, where participants were required to submit a video blog (vlog) to accompany their written work.

About Diwa

Diwa has been a trusted scholastic brand for over 35 years. They are a provider of top-of-the line print and digital K-to-12 educational resources to schools all over the Philippines.

Part of their offerings are innovative programs and workshops to help both educators and students cultivate a rich creative learning environment.

For more information, visit www.diwa.ph.