18 Filipinos receive New Zealand scholarship

MANILA, Philippines - Eighteen Filipinos, among them typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan)  survivors, made it in this year’s batch of grantees for New Zealand ASEAN Scholarship.  

In the recent farewell reception hosted by New Zealand Ambassador Reuben Levermore, the Ambassador called for a special round of applause for Jhovany Sagales and Jonas Marco Quinones from Energy Development Corp., Ormoc City. Days before, embassy officials were burning lines to check on the safety of the two scholars, who were in Ormoc City at the height of the typhoon.

Both Sagales and Quinones, together with Department of Energy’s Anna Mikko Realo,  have earlier been named as successful scholarship applicants, and will take up postgraduate certificate program on geothermal technology at University of Auckland, the largest university in New Zealand. 

In the same event, Quinones, an advocate of renewable energy, said she looks forward to benefiting from New Zealand’s expertise in this field, specifically on steam field management. 

“I have been operating the plant for six years.  I can operate the plant with my eyes closed, but what we cannot control really is the steam. Our steam right now is deteriorating. I think we have problems in steam field management and I want to focus on that to help the country.”

Geothermal energy, as mentioned by the Ambassador in his speech during the farewell reception, is a key area for development cooperation between New Zealand and the Philippines. This is one of the fields where New Zealand has developed an expertise on, which it hopes to share with Filipinos.

Sharing of expertise

Another scholar, Christine Bellen, an employee of Holcim Cement will take up Master in Environmental Science at the University of Canterbury. 

Bellen, a geologist, sees her move to New Zealand next year for her studies an opportune time.  The University of Canterbury is in Christchurch, the largest city in New Zealand’s South Island, which is in the process of rebuilding after the 2011 earthquake.

“I think it is the perfect time for someone like me who is interested in climate change adaptation and disaster risk management to look into what they are doing.  I hope that when I go back, I can convince the government to replicate some good practices.” says Bellen.

Aside from Bellen, Federico dela Pena, a contractor of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, will also study at University of Canterbury to take up Postgraduating diploma in Engineering Geology.

Other fields of study

Aside from geothermal and environmental science, other fields of study that the scholars will focus on are energy, public management, social work, developmental studies, law, political science, international business, urban planning and media arts.

The other scholars are Karen Christian Agno, Margie Balddezamo, Maricor Banaga, Myla Barbacena, Maria Victoria Cabauatan, Ava Danlog, Maurice Duka, Maria Karla Espinosa, Meikko Jay Forones, Gay Marie Francisco, Christine Jeiselle Guarino, Jamael Jacob and Josefina Ocampo.

The scholars were selected and assessed on the basis of their leadership potential, knowledge of their selected field of study and its relevance to development in the Philippines. The New Zealand ASEAN Scholars awards are open to eligible candidates from the public, private and civil society sectors. Information on the NZAS Scholarship program can be found on the New Zealand Aid Programme website. For more information, contact Reina Lino, NZAS Programme administrator of Bato Balani Foundation, Inc. at tel. no. (+632) 8925462.