17 August 2004 – Foreign Affairs Secretary Delia Domingo Albert cited the stronger cultural and educational ties between the Philippines and Singapore as she congratulated thirteen Filipino (13) students who were selected for the Singapore Scholarship programme to pursue various college degree courses in Singapore universities.

“I call on the Filipino scholars to serve as our ambassadors of goodwill and help in actively promoting the bilateral relations between the two countries.   These scholars are testament to our growing educational and cultural exchanges with Singapore,” Secretary Albert said. “They will be actively representing our country, our people and our culture when they begin their academic programs this year.”

The Singapore Scholarship programme is a government-to-government scheme aimed at equipping government endorsed students from member countries of the ASEAN with necessary skills for the development of their countries. This year, the programme has taken in a total of fifty-eight (58) students from the region to undertake full time undergraduate degree courses at three Universities in Singapore, namely the National University of Singapore (NS), the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and the Singapore Management University (SMU).

The thirteen Filipino students represent the second highest intake from an ASEAN country after Vietnam, which had a total of 18 scholars for this year’s programme. They will be joining other scholars from Indonesia, Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia, Brunei, Laos and Myanmar. The students were selected from a total of 350 applicants from nine ASEAN countries.

Five of the Filipino students – Ms. Denise G. Taojo, Ms. Engelica Bianca M. Mendoza, Mr. Gevin Kyle Y. Yang, Mr. Kristoffer James Joseph L. Chan III, and Mr. Seigmund Vincent R. Conti chose to enrol for a Business Management Course at the SMU. Ms Regine Gail R. Lucasan will take up her Business Administration course at the NUS. Three – Mr. Jayson C. Sia, Mr. Michael Joseph Ostique and Mr. Robinson F. Go opted for an Engineering course at the NUS. Three others Mr. Clint L. Gono, Ms. Maria Katrina Y. Edillor and Ms. Mariel Raizza G. Argonzza will be taking up Information Systems, Economics and Social Sciences respectively at the SMU, while Ms. Cecilia G. Tangco will take up her Science course at the NUS.

To date, 291 students have been given the scholarship which was initiated by then Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong at the 6th ASEAN Summit in Hanoi, Vietnam in December 1988. At the 4th ASEAN Informal Summit held in Singapore in November 2000, PM Goh doubled the number of scholarships awarded under the Initiative for ASEAN Integration.

Singapore Senior Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Raymond Lim presented the scholarship awards to the students at the Meritus Mandarin Hotel on 12 August 2004. Present to witness the awarding were the ASEAN Ambassadors in Singapore, including Philippine Ambassador Belen F. Anota. – END