Owwa 11 scholar tops Civil Eng'g board
EDWARD Joseph M. Sartiga, 22 years old, a grantee of the Education for Development Scholarship Program (EDSP) of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (Owwa) ranked No. 5 out of the 6,075 examinees who passed the 2017 Civil Engineer Licensure Examination held last November 11-12, 2017 with a 96.5% rating.
He is the eldest of two children of 3rd Marine Engineer Eduardo B. Sartiga and Betty M. Sartiga, both 53 years old.
Being a qualified OFW dependent, Edward applied for the Education and Development Scholarship Program (EDSP) of Owwa where he passed the qualifying exam in 2012. He took up Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering at the University
of Southeastern Philippines, Obrero Campus, Davao City, where he consistently got high marks.
Edward was one of the team members who joined in the PASUC National Culture & Arts Festival Quiz Bowl where the group became the champion. He participated in various quiz shows during college days. He won the 3rd place during the Regional Elimination in the 2016 National Civil Engineering Students Quiz and 1st place in the JPICE Davao Chapter Math-Science Fair 2016.
In high school, he was a consistent honor student and received excellent awards in Mathematics and Information Technology. He likewise received a gold medallion from Mercury Drug as a Mathematics enthusiast.
His parents are so proud and grateful for the achievements of their son.
“We are so blessed to have a son like Edward. He never gave us headache and he never disappointed us. He grew up to be a loving and a kind-hearted person. He is not only a blessing to us but also to others,” said his mother Betty who extended her sincere gratitude to OWWA for giving his son the opportunity to avail of the scholarship program. “The scholarship really helped us in fulfilling Edward’s dream. It really inspires him to excel in school because for him being an OWWA scholar is a rare opportunity, that’s why he never fails in all his subjects and graduated with pride and honor to us,” she added.
The OWWA’s scholarship program did not only provide financial assistance to the OFWs but also provides all the scholars with the opportunity to create bridges to other partners and entities. For Edward, the financial assistance was really helpful not only for his tuition but for school projects and other requirements for the course, and even during his review for the licensure exam.
“I would like to thank OWWA for this wonderful opportunity. It was really a great help for me and for my family. I am happy with what I have achieved now and I am very proud to be counted as one of the successful scholars of OWWA,” he said, as he promised to support the education of his younger sibling who is now in Grade 12.
Presently, Edward is working at the Planning and Design Division of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) XI as an Engineering Assistant.
“This will be my stepping stone. I will do the best that I can to be of help to the company and be an asset to them. I will also take this opportunity to encourage other OWWA scholars to never stop dreaming and aim high. Don’t give up when trials and hardships will come in your way because it will help you become stronger,” he said. (Maricel T. Sarabillo, LCO, OWWA-RWO XI)