35th Nihongo Speech Contest

The Nihongo Speech Contest 2008 consisted of 3 divisions, namely, the Student Division, the Non-student Division, and the Open Division. The creation of 3 divisions enabled new learners, whether students or non-students, to join in their respective categories, and speakers with a high level of Nihongo were able to compete in the Open Division.

A champion and a runner-up were chosen from the Student and Non-student Divisions, and from the champions of these two divisions, one was given the Outstanding Performance Award. The Grand Prize winner and a runner-up were chosen from the Open Division. The winner of the Outstanding Performance Award and the Grand Prize winner will be participants in a weeklong Study Tour in Japan in autumn. This year, a winner of the Special Jury Award was also chosen.

The basic requirements for all participants were:

1. That they be a Filipino citizen or a non-Japanese citizen with a permanent resident status in the Philippines, .
2. That Japanese is not the first or the native language.
3. That they be 18 years or older by June 1, 2008.
4. That they must not have been a previous first prize winner in the same category of the speech contest conducted by the Japan Foundation.

For the Student Division, participants were required to be an undergraduate student currently enrolled in a university or college in the Philippines, and he/she must not have stayed in Japan for more than a total of 7 months.

For the Non-student Division, the requirement was that participants NOT be an undergraduate student currently enrolled in a university or college in the Philippines, and he/she must not have stayed in Japan for more than a total of 7 months.

This year, a balanced distribution of participants was chosen from Manila, Davao and Cebu. Preliminary Speech Contests were held in both Davao and Cebu, and the winners of these contests, together with those who passed the Manila screening, were the participants in this year’s contest.

S- Student Division NS – Non-student Division O – Open Division

The Winners in the 35th Nihongo Speech Contest

Open Division

Ms. Gerlie Joy Balunto（MKD,Davao）- Grand Prize Winner
"My Life as a Factory Worker in Japan"

Runner-Up
Ms. Aiko Kristiana Piquero Ballescas（Alliance Software, Cebu）
”My Appreciation of Elderly Across Two Cultures"

Non-Student Division

Ms. Maricel Bornilla (PIJLC, Manila) – Outstanding Performance Award
“Transcending A Japayuki”

Runner-Up
Ms. Jocelyn Ong (DLSU / AWS)
“The Me in Japan”

Student Division

Ms. Shane Pajegal(MKD,Davao) – 1st Place
"My Secret Emotion"

Runner-Up
Ms. Sheilla L. Pamittan（UP Diliman）
”Pastel Colored Future"

Special Jury Award (entry in the Student Division)

Ms. Kristine Corpuz（MKD, Davao）
"Kanji Lessons with my Grandfather"