6 Cebuanos join UN event for students in Bali

SIX students from St. Benedict Childhood Education Centre in Cebu City recently joined the Bali Asia International Model United Nations (Baimun) event, a model conference of the United Nations for future diplomats, with one of them being named as the best delegate under the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco) council.

The student-participants were Jose Alberto Carredo, Lyndon Francis Juntilla II, Wrenz Gabriel

Manalang, Rae Monique Ngo, Hans Keifer Ocaña and Vianca Caitlin Marie Tiu Go. Joining the event was already an award in itself as the students had to apply for spots in the event, which was held at the Bali International Convention Center. They were accompanied by coaches Mark Paolo Cañada and Carl Tejada.

An initial 17,899 students from 44 countries applied for spots for the three-day event, but only 462 passed the stringent screening.

As part of their future diplomats training, the delegates were assigned under different United Nations bodies—Unesco, World Health Organization (WHO), UN General Assembly, UN Children’s Fund, UN World Tourism Office, and UN Environment Programme (Unep).

The six delegates from Cebu were all placed under Unesco but were assigned different countries to represent. The delegates under Unesco were assigned the topic on “improving quality education in rural areas.”

Go represented Slovenia, and despite being a first-timer and one of the youngest delegates at 16, the Grade 10 student won the best delegate award for leading her own bloc and producing an intensive resolution together with a delegate from Bhutan and Mexico.

Two other Filipinos also won with Hermenegildo Dumlao III of the Philippine Science High School-Cagayan Valley earning the best delegate and position paper under the WHO council and Kryzel C. Fernandez of Siniloan

National High School earning the best position paper under the Unep council.

Go credited the award to the teamwork with her classmates and the support of the coaches. She dedicated her victory to the Philippines and the school.

Aside from the meeting sessions, the delegates also participated in a grand symposium, beach clean-up, diplomatic dinner and cultural night. Their conduct during the events was rated. / S