THE PHILIPPINE delegation brought home three Medallions for Excellence in the recently concluded 2024 WorldSkills International Competition held in Lyon, France from September 10-15.

Competitors Allen Gacweng of Cooking, Gwyneth Nicole Abarquez of Restaurant Service, and Kylle Brigette Dingding of Graphic Design Technology were each awarded the Medallion for Excellence for obtaining a score of at least 700 points during the competition in their respective skill areas.

The Medallion for Excellence is granted to competitors whose performance meets the international standards based on the criteria set by WorldSkills International.

Dingding also received the Best of Nation Award for getting the highest score among the country’s competitors.

TESDA Director General, Secretary Jose Francisco “Kiko” Benitez congratulated the awardees as well as the whole Philippine delegation who showcased their world-class skills and brought honor to the country at the WorldSkills Competition.

“Your dedication and excellence in technical and vocational skills demonstrate the bright future of our workforce. This achievement is also a testament to our country’s commitment to producing globally competitive professionals,” the TESDA chief said.

Gacweng, who is currently completing his Diploma in Culinary Arts at the Cordillera State Institute of Technical Education, was among the 18 out of 41 participants in the Cooking skill area who received the Medallion for Excellence.

Likewise, Abarquez, from Region IV-A, was among the 14 out of 33 competitors in the Restaurant Service skill area who brought home the Medallion for Excellence.

Further, Dingding, a 2nd year BS Multimedia Arts student at Cebu Institute of Technology University, was among the 14 out of 31 competitors in the Graphic Design Technology skill area who bagged the Medallion for Excellence.

Meanwhile, the Philippines also ranked 23rd out of the 60 countries that competed in terms of the total average points score based on the report of WorldSkills International.