THE PHILIPPINES bagged a silver medal and three Medallions for Excellence in the 13th WorldSkills ASEAN Competition held at Suntec Singapore Convention and Exhibition Center in Singapore.

Ana Claire Hernandez brought home a silver medal in the Graphic Design Technology skill area, finishing behind Joanne Li of Singapore. Hernandez also received the Best of Nation Award for having the highest number of points among Philippine competitors.

The Philippine team also won three Medallions for Excellence. These were awarded to Gwyneth Nicole Abarquez for Restaurant Service, Cristian Lasaruz Asanza for Electrical Installation, and Allen Gacweng for Cooking.

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

Hernandez shared that all of her hard work came to fruition after she won the silver medal. She advised the youth, particularly aspiring graphic designers, to continue working hard.

“Sa susunod na competitors and other TESDA trainees, ang masasabi ko lang ‘wag kayong matakot, ‘wag kayong malungkot, [at] wag kayong panghinaan ng loob na sa una pangit yung gawa niyo….[kasi] the more you do, the more you get good,” she said.

Technical Education and Skills Development Authority Secretary Suharto Mangudadatu lauded the winners and the rest of the Philippine delegation for bringing pride to the country.

“You have shown the world that Filipino excellence in the tech-voc field knows no limits, and our skilled professionals are indeed world-class,” he added.

The Philippines participated in various skill areas such as Automobile Technology, Beauty Therapy, Cooking, Electrical Installation, Electronics, Fashion Technology, Graphic Design Technology, Hairdressing, Information Network Cabling, Internet-of-Things, IT Network System Administration, IT Software Solutions for Business, Mechanical Engineering CAD, Mechatronics, Mobile Robotics, Rapid Transit System, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning, Restaurant Service, and Web Technology.