JEDDAH, 5 March 2004 — If the academic competition conducted recently among Filipino students in Jeddah were a gauge, Al Hekma International School can claim it has caught up with its older and bigger rival International Philippine School in Jeddah (IPSJ).
AHIS students in both high school and elementary levels showed that they were no pushover when they came face to face with their counterparts from IPSJ during the I-Quest competition conducted by the Philippine Institute of Certified Public Accountants (PICPA) chapter of Jeddah.
IPSJ fielded 61 of its top students while Al Hekma came up with only 40.
In the elementary level, IPSJ’s Arnold A. Nava emerged as the champion with a total score of 35 points. He was trailed by three Al Hekma contestants (Michael Enry Y. de Guzman, 30 points; Beige Zue D. Manguba, 20 points; and Lemuel Miguel N. Dagalea, 10 points). Another IPSJ student, Florence D. Leoncio, also scored 10 points.
In the high school match, sophomore Cyrille Xavier Cruz carried the banner for Al Hekma by scoring 60 points to claim the championship title.
Marie Kris Rodriguez of IPSJ took the 1st runner-up place with a score of 50 points, followed by Al Hekma’s Ismael Inocencio with 40 points, IPSJ’s Fatima Abduljalil with35 points, and Iris Gilen Gomez with 20 points.
A total of 15 questions were given from the fields of science, mathematics, arts and culture, and general information during the elimination round and 10 questions in the final round.
The board of judges in the elementary level was chaired by Evelyn Santos, a current PICPA officer and chair of the women’s group Filwow. Its members were Gemma Villanueva, Sonia Quintaro, and Reggie Maga. The high school judges was chaired by Ben Guerra, founding chairman of PICPA-Jeddah and of the Tanglaw Toastmasters in Jeddah. His members were May Delmo, and Glory Fe Abotanin.
PICPA chapter president Rafael Abisamis said the contest, the 4th to be hosted in Jeddah, is meant “to give Filipino students a challenge to actively pursue academic excellence.”
Decil Manapat hosted the event, while Al-Hekma provided its facilities for the contest.
Despite the increasingly tighter competition between the two schools, Al Hekma school director Nada bin Yamin said she was very delighted to see Filipino students and parents from IPSJ gather in her school for a common goal.
“Our school is always open for this kind of activity and I will do my best to be of help with the community, especially for the best interests of the Filipino students,”she said.
Ay Sarap Catering & Restaurant of Pinoy entrepreneur Ronald Mangua joined hands with Pepsi Cola to help ensure a smooth flow of the contest.