A student from the Central Philippine University (CPU) of Iloilo City won first place during the 5th International Competition of Arts and Culture in Armenia recently.
Clem Marnel Burgos’ performance of a theatrical piece about a mentally ill patient stood out among 44 competitors from 12 countries at the competition held from July 7 to 12.
“It still is surreal. I had a lot of hurdles along the way and the people who were with me from the beginning saw how I struggled. Pero malaking pasasalamat ko sa Panginoon dahil Siya lang talaga ang reason kung bakit nangyari ito (But I give a big thanks to God because He’s the only reason why this happened),” Burgos said.
Burgos got a perfect 10 from eight adjudicators from Lebanon, Armenia, Czech Republic, Russia, Kazakhstan, Georgia, Cyprus, and Lithuania. He also received high praises from the audience after his performance.
He said he went through a lot of trials before his triumph.
“Ang daming struggles particularly sa finances knowing na magastos din ang pagpunta ko dito sa Armenia. Advice ko sa mga nangangarap, never give up at manalig sa Panginoon (I had so many struggles particularly in my finances, knowing that coming here to Armenia was very costly. My advice for those who have a dream, never give up and have faith in God),” said Burgos.
He added, the government should give extra support for talented Filipinos competing in the international scene. (Niel Caburnay Tero, ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau)
