School staff urged: Smile, it might make you P1M richer

Screengrab from https://www.happiest-pinoy.com/

MANILA—Being happy can make you even happier and richer by P1 million.

Education Secretary Armin Luistro enjoined teachers and other school personnel to greet the New Year with a smile and a positive attitude as he urged everyone to take part in the nationwide Search for the Happiest Pinoy.

The Happiest Pinoy, to be chosen by the country’s largest pawnshop chain Cebuana Lhuillier, will be given P1 million while his or her nominator will win P50,000.

In a memorandum Luistro said, “To start the New Year with optimism and a renewed sense of fulfilment in teaching, all school personnel are encouraged to be in a positive disposition and to wear a smile when they report to their respective classes.”

He pointed out that a teacher’s joy reflects in his or her teaching and creates an environment conducive for learning, thus, the Department of Education’s “Wear a smile” campaign.

According to Luistro, the campaign aims to make schools cheerful and “influence students to look forward to good days in their classes.”

Luistro expressed full support for the nationwide search for the happiest Pinoy, which is closely linked with the “Wear a smile” campaign. The search is open to all Filipinos who are 18 years old and above and are of good moral character. To be the happiest Pinoy, he must have a positive outlook in life; has proven ability to rise above challenges; and has positive impact on the lives of others.

For 2015 a special award of P25,000 will be given to the happiest student, who can still vie for the Happiest Pinoy award.

Luistro tapped all school heads to ensure that the campaign succeeds. He tasked regional directors, school division superintendents and supervisors to undertake the campaign and monitor its implementation.

The Search for the Happiest Pinoy is a nationwide campaign that was started by Cebuana Lhuillier in 2009 and aims to “rekindle the values of optimism, resilience and hope in Filipinos” faced with different crises.

Under the search guidelines, nominators should be Filipinos who are 18 years old and above and must submit by March 31, 2015 supporting documents and nomination forms which may be downloaded from the www.happiest-pinoy.com website or obtained from any of the 1,700 Cebuana Lhuillier branches nationwide.

Nominations may be emailed to [email protected] or sent by mail to the PJ Lhuillier group of companies, 2nd floor Annex 2 PJL Corporate Center, 1782 N. Garcia corner Candelaria Streets, Makati City.

A screening committee of PJ Lhuillier group officers and managers will choose the top 20 semi-finalists from whom the board of judges will select 10 finalists to undergo a panel interview which will determine the happiest Pinoy among them. But before the grand winner is chosen, the judges will also pick from the 10 the happiest student and the happiest overseas Filipino worker who will each be awarded P25,000 while remaining in contention for the main prize of P1 million, which will go to the happiest Pinoy. The nine runners-up will be awarded P50,000 each while their respective nominators will each be given P10,000.

A 2012 Gallup world poll ranked Filipinos 8th among the happiest and most positive people in 148 countries. In the survey Gallup asked 1,000 adult respondents, through telephone and personal interviews, questions including: Did you feel well-rested yesterday? Were you treated with respect all day yesterday? Did you smile or laugh a lot yesterday? Did you learn or do something interesting yesterday?

Also included in the Gallup’s top 10 happiest countries were: Panama, Paraguay, El Salvador, Venezuela, Trinidad and Tobago, Thailand, Guatemala, Ecuador, and Costa Rica.