12 Pinoys get UK Chevening scholarships this year

MANILA, Philippines - The British government, through the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), has awarded the prestigious Chevening Scholarship to a dozen Filipinos this year.

British Ambassador Stephen Lillie said this is a record for the Philippines, as the number of Chevening scholars has increased four-fold since 2010, from 3 to 12.

Lillie congratulated the scholars personally during a send-off reception at his residence last Thursday.

“I’m always impressed by the high quality of scholars coming from the Philippines. I’m delighted that this year we’re able to offer a record number of Chevening Scholarships in this country. It’s a sign of the importance that we attach to our dynamic links with the Philippines,” Lillie said.

Lillie told the scholars that they can be confident of receiving a world-class education in the UK.

“Our educational institutions are among the most sought after in the world. Many of the world’s very best universities are in the UK. We hope you will take the unique opportunities that your Chevening Scholarships present to bring back home what you’ve learned and continue what you’ve started in making a difference here in your country,” he said.

The scholars expressed their excitement in receiving the study grants to UK institutions.

Stephen Michael Co, who will pursue a Masters in Bioscience Enterprise at the University of Cambridge, expects to gain valuable knowledge and expertise to help achieve his goal, which is to lead in the establishment of bioscience entrepreneurship as an industry in the Philippines.

Melvin Noche, who will pursue a Masters in Finance also at the University of Cambridge, is looking forward to becoming part of the Chevening network of scholars that will enable him to tap into and share insights with a vast pool of experts from across the globe.

The two are among the very first batch of Cambridge Chevening scholars from the Philippines after the British Embassy in Manila secured an agreement with Cambridge University last year to partially fund two scholars from the Philippines.

Aside from Co and Noche, this year’s Chevening Scholars are:

• Rommel Abitria has been working at the Humanitarian Legal Assistance Foundation and is currently teaching Juvenile Justice and Delinquency at De La Salle University-Dasmariñas. He will be taking his Master of Laws in Criminal Justice at the University of Kent.

• Sherielysse Bonifacio has worked with bilateral and multilateral agencies on judicial capacity building and judicial reform projects with the judiciary, specifically the Supreme Court, as a law clerk and as an information officer. She will be pursuing a Masters of Laws degree in Development and Governance at the School of Oriental and African Studies.

• Joyce Marison Camacho has been working at the Office of the Undersecretary for International Economic Relations, Department of Foreign Affairs. She will be going for a Masters in International Political Economy at King’s College London.

• Jessica Hermosa has been working as a business journalist at BusinessWorld for four years. She will be pursuing a Masters in International Relations-International Political Economy at the University of Birmingham.

• Janice Lee worked as a court attorney at the Office of then Associate Justice, now Chief Justice Ma. Lourdes Sereno. Her main responsibilities include reviewing and researching local and foreign laws and jurisprudence, drafting court decisions and resolutions, and effectively recommending court actions on cases brought before the court. She will pursue a Masters of Law degree in Public International Law at the Queen Mary, University of London.

• Ana Rhia Muhi is a human rights lawyer specializing in indigenous peoples’ rights and environmental law. She was a senior law clerk for Chief Justice Sereno. She will be pursuing her Masters of Law, with specialization in Environmental Law at the Queen Mary University of London.

• Anna Lorem Ramos worked as a court attorney at the office of Chief Justice Sereno. Her work at the Supreme Court involved the drafting of legal memoranda for human rights cases, especially those relating to extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances. She will be go for a Masters of Laws degree in Public International Law at Queen Mary University of London.

• Abdul-Jalil Umngan is an active member and officer of the Insan Islamic Assembly and the Young Moro Professionals Network, both NGOs working for human rights, environment, values transformation, education for youth, and peace and development in Mindanao. He will pursue a Masters of Science in Sustainable Environment Development with Management Studies at Kingston University London.

• Marian Theresia Valera recently worked as a program coordinator at the Zuellig Center, one of the research centers of the Asian Institute of Management. She managed the center’s Good Governance in Health and Health Technology Assessment programs, and contributed to research that supports universal health care in the Philippines. She will be taking her Masters in Science Public Health (Health Economics) at London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, University of London.

• Deniece Yusun is a principal designer and partner of the architecture company C+Y Design Studio, focusing on commercial and residential design, with the goal of continuously developing sustainable design practice principles. She will be pursuing a Masters in Environmental Design and Engineering at Bartlett School of Architecture, University College London.