Atenean Bags ‘Future Young Mayor’ Title in City Planning tilt held in Singapore
SINGAPORE – Luigi Anton S. Alcañeses (10-A) clinched the coveted “Future Young Mayor” title in the final round of “Planning a Clean and Green Township 2015: City Beautiful Manila” held from April 7 to 12, 2015 in Singapore. Ending the three-year streak of Hwa Chong Institute, Alcañeses topped all the competitors from 80 other teams for the prestigious title that embodies leadership, eloquence, and passion coupled with fresh ideas for the city.
In the final round of the said competition, AHS Team Brilliant presented their proposal and constructed their model together with competitors from countries like Singapore, Malaysia, and Qatar. Composed of Alcañeses, Jericho Bascos, Daniel Del Rio, Ryan Encarnacion, Cisco Ortega, and LA Ibarrientos (all from 10-A), AHS Team Brilliant passed the elimination round with their proposal entitled “Cultivating Humanity, Capturing Identity, and Celebrating Diversity in Manila.” With its aim to develop Manila into a city of meaningful human experiences, the proposal details a long-term implementation scheme on how the City of Manila can be made more livable to residents, enticing to businessmen, and lovable to tourists.
During the Multimedia Presentation Round, AHS Team Brilliant generated overwhelming response from the judges with all four of the panel members commending the comprehensiveness and concreteness of the proposal. The group was applauded for their tagline, marketing video, and efforts on tourism and heritage. Dubbed as ‘inspirational’ and ‘humble and sweet’ by the judges, Team Brilliant was commended by one of the judges to be the only group to put people at the center of their proposal. Composed of representatives from the Embassy of Belgium, Tierra Design, and Center for Livable Cities, the judges of the multimedia presentation wished that the group could present the proposal to the officials of Manila and their peers for greater impact.
Meanwhile, in the Model Building Round, Team Brilliant constructed a model of the district of Quiapo which showcases highlights of their proposal. For this round, the group decided to organize Quiapo and make it progressive, but still recognizable to people so as to preserve its cultural and historical meaning. Handing brochures summarizing their proposal and presenting the heritage walk to the public, the team also capitalized on using scrap or recyclable materials for their model of Quiapo.
In the end, Team Brilliant finished fourth in the Junior Category with a 0.5 difference from the pronounced third placer, St Joseph’s Institution. In addition, the township model of the group was chosen to be one of the models for the Philippine roadshow with its first stop at SM Mall of Asia on April 18, from 4:00-6:00pm. Group members will share their reflections about the competition on the said event. For their division, Singapore School of Manila finished first while Global Indian International School finished second.
Together with Team Heartstrong from the Loyola Schools and other teams from the Philippines, Team Brilliant participated on a study trip before joining the competition proper. The study trip introduced the teams to the different city planning efforts in Singapore and immersed them in multiculturalism in Singapore. Some of the highlights of the study trip were the city focal point Marina Barrage, the cultural hub Esplanade, the movie-themed Universal Studios, the busy streets of Chinatown and Little India, and the facilities of NeWater, Urban Redevelopment Authority, Housing Development Board, and Land Transportation Authority.
The competition cum study trip was organized by Singapore-based Activistar Private Ltd. AHS Team Brilliant was co-coached by Mr Emmanuel Delocado of the Science subject area and Dr Ma Assunta Cuyegkeng and Ms Abigail Favis of Ateneo Institute of Sustainability.
