Ten students who won in the recently concluded on-the-spot painting and essay-writing contests in Pasay City received their awards and prizes last Dec. 11. The contests were held at the Alleviation Center, 822 Dominguez St., Malibay, Pasay City last Dec. 8. The competitions which was originally slated last November 30 was postponed due to super typhoon Reming.

Elementary pupils competed in the painting contest, while high school students competed in the essay-writing contest. Both competitions tackled the theme "Peace as Seen in the Hearts and Minds of the Pasay Youth."

The project was jointly launched by the Centre for P.E.A.C.E., DepEd-NCR, Pasay Division of Schools, Rotary Club of Masambong ng Quezon City and the Rotary Club of Illustrado together with other Pasay Rotary clubs, and the Office Pasay Congresswoman "Connie" Dy.

The winning contestants received the Connie Dy Peace Prizes of P5,000 for the 1st place; P3,000 for 2nd place; P2,000 for 3rd place and P1,000 each for the 4th and 5th placers. These separately applied to winners in both the painting and essay-writing contests. The schools of the two 1st placers each received an audio-visual showcase.

The winners, together with their parents, teachers and principals were honored in fitting ceremonies last Monday (Dec. 11) between 8-11 in the evening at the Forum Hall, Airport Casino, Paranaque City.

Kapayapaan sa puso at diwa ng kabataang Pasay (peace as seen in the hearts and minds of the Pasay youth) represents the second leg in implementing the agreement between DepEd and the Centre for P.E.A.C.E. in promoting a culture of peace among the ranks of students nationwide. The first successfully launching was the Kapayapaan sa puso at diwa ng kabataang Kyusi (peace as seen in the hearts and minds of the Quezon City youth) last September, which was recognized as a part of the UN-mandated peace celebrations worldwide. It was adopted by the Rotary Club of Masambong in Quezon City which in turn rallies the support of other Rotary clubs in spreading peace consciousness among the youth in their respective jurisdictions.