Cebuana student leads Philippines winners at UN event in Bali

CEBU, Philippines — Three young Filipinos did the country proud by winning four awards at the recent Bali Asia International Model United Nations (BAIMUN) II event at the Bali International Convention Center in Nusa Dua, Bali, Indonesia.

Philippine Science High School-Cagayan Valley campus’ Hermenegildo Dumlao III got two awards, while Siniloan National High School’s Kryzel Fernandez and Cebu-based St. Benedict Childhood Education Centre’s Vianca Caitlin Marie Go got an award each.

Dumlao, who attended the event for the second time, was named Best Delegate and delivered the Best Position Paper under the World Health Organization Council.

Fernandez was awarded for the Best Position Paper under the United Nations Environmental Council.

 Go was named the Best Delegate under the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Council.

Although a first-timer in the BAIMUN II event and one of the youngest at 16, it did not stop the Cebuana from performing beyond expectations.

A Grade 10 student, Go was among the six delegates from St. Benedict school. The other delegates were Jose Alberto Carredo, Lyndon Francis Juntilla II, Wrenz Gabriel Manalang, Rae Monique Ngo and Hans Keifer Ocaña together with their coaches Mark Cañada and Cris Tejada.

All of the delegates from St. Benedict’s were under UNESCO, but were assigned different countries to represent, with Go assigned for Slovenia.

Go also led her own bloc and produced an intensive resolution together with a delegate from Bhutan and Mexico.

The Bali event is a model conference of the United Nations for future diplomats.

This year’s conference carries the theme, “The Evolving of Cultural and Environmental Awareness for a Brighter Future.”

Participants were mostly around 18 to 25 years old. They were exposed to international issues and policies that are mostly related to culture as well as in debating, and sharing perspective, finding a solution and in creating resolutions.