Pinay first grader wins US
state department art contest
By Veronica Uy




A FIRST grade Filipina student at the Singapore American School, Isabelle Masbate, won the grand prize in the 2004 US State Department Alert Overseas -- Kids (A-OK) art competition, the Department of Foreign Affairs announced Thursday.

Philippine Ambassador to Singapore Belen Anota congratulated Isabelle and her parents and said that her winning the competition is "something that we can really be proud of and would serve as an inspiration for the Filipino children as well."

Her winning art piece entitled, Keeping Kids Safe Overseas, is the feature cover of 2005 A-OK calendar, with other selected entries on the monthly spread of the calendar. Her art depicts various scenes -- family, school, friends, and government providing protection for the children.

Isabelle, daughter of Singapore-based Filipinos Jorge and Benna Masbate, and whose entry was one among three pieces chosen to represent Singapore, bested submissions by children of kindergarten to Grade Six levels from different countries such as Sri Lanka, Greece, Vietnam, South Africa, France, China and Spain. She submitted her artwork in September last year to the US Embassy in Singapore and received news of her winning on January 21. A certificate of
appreciation signed by the US Ambassador and the US State Department Assistant Secretary for Diplomatic Security was sent together with the official notice of her winning.

Isabella's mother, Benna, said the award is "another Filipino moment to be proud of."

The A-OK program, which has been undertaken by the State Department since 1986, provides security and safety information to American children living overseas. An annual competition is held to encourage children to form their own personal messages about safety and security issues.