Thirty-five-year-old Suraida Ampatuan won over 12 female Quran readers, while Lanao del Surs Abdul Jalil Amerol trounced his 11 rivals in the male category.
Adjudged second and third placers were Rayma Bangon (Lanao), 35, and Raida Manlangit (Cotabato), 36, respectively, in the female category, and Abdulwadood Malangas (Cotabato) and Hadji Ibrahim Mutahain (Basilan), respectively, in the male category.
Zamzamin Ampatuan, executive director of the Office of Muslim Affairs, said the winners will represent the country in international Quran reading competitions, including the one held annually in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Edith Regalado