Aurora student tops PLDT HomeFibr Broadband Quiz

MANILA, Philippines — A 15-year-old high school student from Aurora province has bagged the grand prize in the PLDT HomeFibr Broadband Quiz, an online academic contest participated in by top graduates of PLDT’s flagship education advocacy program Infoteach Outreach Webinar Series.

Ma. Eugenie Yvette Gata, a Grade 10 student of Casiguran National High School in Aurora, topped the grand finals, winning a cash prize of P25,000, a laptop, and a gold medal for herself, and two laptops and a printer for her school.

All winners and their respective schools and Department of Education (DepEd) division offices received plaques of appreciation.

Aligned with the PLDT Group’s core value of “malasakit” (concern for others), the PLDT HomeFibr Broadband Quiz, now on its 11th year, is the yearly culmination of the Infoteach Outreach Program, PLDT’s flagship project for its education pillar.

“We at PLDT and our partner, the University of the Philippines Open University (UPOU), conducted the 2020 and 2021 Infoteach Webinar Series with relevant topics intended to provide beneficial digital literacy training to high school students,” said Cathy Yap-Yang, PLDT FVP and head of corporate communications.

“We now have with us lifelong learners, whose passion for learning goes beyond the required lessons,” she said.

First runner-up Key Calpito, a Grade 12 student of Cabarroguis National School of Arts and Trades in Quirino province, won P20,000 cash, a laptop, and a silver medal, and a laptop and printer for her school.

Another Grade 12 student, Jobelle Enverga of Jesus Dela Peña National High School in Marikina City, was 2nd runner-up, winning P15,000 cash, a laptop, and a bronze medal, and a laptop for her school.

The Infoteach training, in accordance with the government’s pandemic-related health protocols, was continued in webinar format in 2020, and rolled on to Phase 6 of the Webinar Series this year, said PLDT Community Relations head Katherine Diaz de Rivera.

“This is a milestone event, being the first time we conducted virtually the Infoteach graduation and awarding of the Broadband Quiz winners,” she said.

UPOU chancellor Dr. Melinda Bandalaria thanked DepEd and other partners “for working with us closely so we can find the most appropriate way of implementing the training rollout in the online mode of delivery. For our student-participants, it was indeed a tough journey … We congratulate all of you!”

To help drive its #NoLearnerLeftBehind, the PLDT Group commits to help the Philippines attain the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, particularly No. 4: inclusive quality education.

—CONTRIBUTED