Search for Mega Cebu Ambassadors set today

The search for Mega Cebu Ambassadors will be held today at the Cebu International Convention Center in Mandaue City.

Thirteen local government units that are components of Mega Cebu will be represented by a pair of male and female contestants who are “not only beauty and brains but also have the heart for Mega Cebu.”

The candidates were introduced during the awarding of winners of the different contests during the Mega Cebu Month of September on Wednesday night at the Cebu Cultural Center in Lahug, Cebu City.

The contests include jingle making contest, Heart of Worship chorale competition, Photo Plus contest and high school and college academic and literary contests.

“Moving Forward,” a jingle composed by Medie Baculpa and Adesa Otara, bested seven other finalists. Second place went to SunStar columnist Mel Libre who is based in New Zealand with a jingle titled “Forward Mega Cebu, while third place went to Dennis Martin, a Cebuano nurse based in Ireland with his composition titled “Live to Believe.”

The Heart of Worship chorale competition, in partnership with Full Gospel Businessman’s Fellowship International, featured 12 different churches.

First place went to Praise Cathedral, second place to Church of Our King and third place to Living Word-Punta Princesa. They received P50,000, P30,000 and P20,000 respectively.

But the churches will only receive the trophy as cash prizes will go to the beneficiary schools in local government units (LGUs) that are members of Mega Cebu.

For the photo contest, entries were photos of old and rundown structures that have the potential to be developed in any of the 13 LGUs of Mega Cebu.

First place photo of Erwin Lim was of an ancestral house in Carcar City, while second was a photo of the old White Gold building by Casilda Larrazabal and third place was of the Vision Theater in Colon Street, Cebu City by Richie Atillo.

Phase two of the contest will see these old structures digitally enhanced into working establishments.

For the high school and college academic and literary contests, winners include:

High School Quiz Bowl – Cebu City National Science High School (first), Consolacion National High School (second) and Cordova Catholic Cooperative School (third); High School Poster Making Contest – Lanipga National High School in Consolacion (first), Ocaña National High School in Carcar City (second) and Compostela Science and Technology High School (third); High School Oratorical Contest – Hannah Mae Corpuz of Cebu City National Science High School (first), Gian Bo Luchavez of St. Dominic Child Learning Center in Cordova (second) and Rodamee Otadoy of Consolacion National High School (third); College Quiz Bowl – Southwestern University (first), University of the Visayas-Main Campus (second) and Cebu Normal University (third); College on-the-spot painting contest – Rhea Kristine Elnar of University of San Carlos (first), Jay Ann Cortes of USC (second) and Jestoni Septimo of SWU (third); Extemporaneous Speaking Contest (“What can you do to make public officials work together for Mega Cebu) – Compostela Science and Technology High School (first), Talisay City Science High School (second) and Cebu City National Science High School (third). /CORRESPONDENT JOSE SANTINO BUNACHITA