The Philippine Online Chronicles

Filipino students are invited to join the PreMYo Rizal nationwide letter writing and essay writing competition calling for various entries in English and Filipino about the life and works of national hero, Dr. Jose Rizal.

The contest is open to students in the elementary (Grades 5 to 6), secondary (third to fourth year), and college (undergraduate) level in public or privates schools nationwide.

'If Rizal were alive today...'

For the elementary level, participants are asked to write an essay in Filipino answering the question “Kung nabubuhay si Rizal ngayon, ano ang nais mong sabihin o itanong sa kanya?”They are also given a set of questions to choose from for a letter to be written to the national hero.

Participants in the high school level are tasked to compose an essay in English expressing his or her ideas and feelings towards a character from Rizal's novels Noli Me Tangere or El Filibusterismo, which is relevant to today's Philippine society and political reality.

College students may write an essay with the themes “The Relevance of Rizal Today” (for English) or “Ang Diwa ni Rizal sa Kasalukuyan” (for Filipino).

Deadline: October 31

Entries should be accompanied by a certification from the principal that the contestant is enrolled in the current school year (SY 2011-2012); scanned school ID of the student or principal or any valid ID; and accomplished entry form which can be downloaded from the MyRizal150 website.

Meanwhile, entries from college contestants must be submitted together with an endorsement letter from a teacher, adviser, department chair, college dean, or university president confirming that the student is officially enrolled in the college or university. Entries should also come with an accomplished entry form which can be downloaded from MyRizal website. Entry forms arealso available at the Office of the Dean, College of Arts and Letters, 2^nd floor, Rizal Hall, University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City.

The deadline for entries is on October 31, 2011.

Winners of the elementary and high school categories will take home P10,000 (1^st prize), P7,000 (2^nd prize), and P5,000 (3^rd prize).

For the college level, winners will be taking homeP50,000 (1^st prize), P30,000 (2^nd prize), and P10,000 (3^rd prize).

For more information, interested parties may visit MyRizal150 website or contact Binhi English Literacy Foundation, Inc. at 817-8062.