Performers from La Castellana High School, showcasing the Chinese egret, bagged P10,000 in cash prize as champion in the Sayawit contest held in line with the ongoing Provincial Wildlife Month Festival in Negros Occidental.
First runner-up was Colegio San Agustin Bacolod, 2nd runner-up: E.B. Magalona National High School, 3rd runner-up: Lopez Jaena National High School, and 4th runner-up: Don Simplicio Lizares Memorial High; they received P8,000, P6,000, P4,000, and P3,000 in cash, respectively, the Philippines Biodiversity Conservation Foundation Inc. (PhilBio) said Nov. 6.
Each winning group also received a plaque and certificate of recognition.
“We were blown away by the quality of the presentations from the participants of the Sayawit, showcasing original song and dance that tells the story of the wildlife of Negros Island,” PhilBio said in a post as it commended all the winners and participants.
The competition, held at Ayala Malls Capitol Central in Bacolod City, was one of the activities to kickstart this year’s Provincial Wildlife Month celebration, spearheaded by the Provincial Environment Management Office, in partnership PENRO Negros Occidental, Ayala Malls, and PhilBio, with support from the USAID INSPIRE Project of the Gerry Roxas Foundation.
The “Sayawit” contest was preceded by the Parade of Headdresses, featuring endemic flora and fauna of Negros Island, and participated in by more than 800 participants, who showed off hand-and-custom-made wildlife headdresses to represent their organizations and institutions, the PhilBio said.
Several activities have also been lined-up for this month’s celebration, on the theme “Pagtipig sang Aton Kabuganaan, Kabog kag Apitong aton Proteksyunan”.
These include the 2nd Mangrove Camp in E.B. Magalona, on Nov. 11-12; 7th Biodiversity Research Symposium in Bacolod City, Nov. 12; 19th Provincial Wildlife Quiz at the Carlos Hilado Memorial State University in Talisay City, Nov. 14;
Wildlife photo exhibit at SM City Bacolod on Nov. 18-22; 9th Tour of the Fireflies, Nov. 24; and 8th National Wildlife Quiz in Butuan City on Nov. 28-29, among others. ||
