Krista Mae Manabat and Vanessa Viloria, valedictorian and salutatorian, respectively, of the Cesareo Villa-Abrille Elementary School in Bucana, Barangay 76-A, are the new scholars chosen by the Don Cesareo Villa-Abrille Foundation to study for free at the Holy Cross of Davao College (HCDC). The program was started in 2002 at the school.
Foundation treasurer Jesusita Villa-Abrille and secretary Carmelita V.A. Corpus conferred the scholarship grant on Manabat and Viloria during the school’s Recognition Day last March 29. The scholarship at Holy Cross of Davao covers matriculation, tuition and other allied fees, free textbooks and free school uniforms.
Class adviser Erlinda Semacon said Manabat was the top student out of 254 graduates. She participated in the division-wide training for girl scouts at Camp Corazon despite financial limitations. She was also the first placer in Heograpiya Kasaysayan at Sibika (Hekasi), district level competition and represented the Davao Central District in the Quiz Bee competition in Hekasi.
Viloria was president of the student government organization. She handled the class whenever the teacher was absent.
During the scholarship presentation, Kris Apple Senillo, its first scholar in 2002 to graduate from high school in 2006 and a Father Maurice Cote College Scholar with a BS in Elementary Education, cum laude, gave an inspirational message to the graduating class.
The other Bucana scholars at Holy Cross for school year 2009-2010 were Maybelen Aguilar, freshman; Sherry Jean Ferrando, sophomore; Christian Jeason Ferrando, junior; and Jesser John Domingo, senior, who recently graduated from high school at the HCDC last March 27. The scholarships will continue until the scholars graduate from high school.
Jesser Domingo will study for free at the same Catholic school as a Father Cote College scholar of HS Class ’61, and is a founding member of the scholarship program (and golden jubilarian of Holy Cross next year).
Domingo is the son of Genaro and Carolina Domingo.
Like Kristine Ann Deloy before her, Ma. Ira Louise Santos (a scholar of the Rotary Club of South Davao) is studying at the University of Southeastern Philippines under the Villa-Abrille Foundation’s scholarship grant. Santos is taking up AB English, major in Literature, while Deloy graduated last year with a bachelor’s degree in elementary education. Gaylyn Paloma, another Villa-Abrille scholar in high school, is also a Rotary scholar pursuing a BS statistics course at the USEP.
