A member of the Indigenous Peoples (IP) from the upland flower capital of Murcia – Sitio Katugasan, Brgy. Minoyan, graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture degree with top awards along with 10 Pagkaon scholars of the Negros Occidental provincial government during the second commencement exercises of the Catholic Ming Yuan College in Murcia, recently.
Nelly Ambrocio, a Bukidnon, was Magna Cum Laude and received a leadership award. She had a General Weighted Average of 92 percent, capturing the top spot among the BSA graduates, a Capitol press release said.
As an incentive Nelly will receive P12,000 from the provincial government.
Nelly is one of three children of Nestor and Josefina Ambrocio who are into flower farming.
They plant and sell Chrysanthemums in their almost one-hectare ancestral land.
To help her parents, Nelly’s routine includes harvesting flowers every Saturday morning, packing them for transport, and spending overnight in the vicinity of St. John Baptist Parish Church in Bago City where she sells the flowers before the first mass on Sundays.
Nelly said that her family earns between P1,500 to P2,000 per week, just enough to buy their basic needs.
Nelly thanked Gov. Eugenio Jose V. Lacson and the Negros Occidental Scholarship Program for the support extended to her until she finished her four-year course. She also thanked her parents, professors and staff of CMYC for taking good care of her while she was studying.
Meanwhile, both Suzith Jean Macasinag of Hinobaan and Shiela Marfil of Murcia also graduated Cum Laude and were given P5,000 each in incentive.
Other Pagkaon scholar-graduates include Ma. Nina Malunes and Jeihwil Love Pana-ongon of Bago City; Jayson Mirambel, Liza Joy Remotigue , Ianna Louise Teompa and Jessa Villaflor of Murcia; and Altheia Kate Monceda and Trisia Mae Regala of Hinoba-an.
The graduation ceremony was attended by Rev. Fr. Yongxing Cui, Rev. Fr. Shunyo Ding, Sr. Goretti Lu, Dr. Armigenia Benedicto, Mariam Castel, Keah Mariz Dela Cruz, Alfredo Barcelona, Karen Dinsay and Michelle Nessia, among others.
Lacson congratulated the scholars for their achievements and wished them success in their future endeavous.
He will continue to provide support to the less privileged but deserving children of farmers, fisherfolk and livestock raisers so that they will be able to uplift the quality of life of their families, Lacson said.
He lauded the faculty and staff of Catholic Ming Yuan College for training the scholars well and preparing them for their journey to Taiwan for their Master’s degrees in Agriculture at Nanhua University.
Those who are set to take up their post graduate studies at Nanhua University, Taiwan are Malunes, Mirambel, Monceda, Pana-ongon and Regala.*