A member of the Indigenous Peoples (IP), from the upland flower capital of Murcia – Sitio Katugasan, Brgy. Minoyan, graduated her Bachelor of Science in Agriculture with top awards, along with 10 Pagkaon scholars during the 2nd Commencement Exercises of Catholic Ming Yuan College in Murcia, recently.
Nelly Ambrocio, a Bukidnon, was conferred Magna Cum Laude and Leadership Award with General Weighted Average of 92 percent, capturing the top spot among BSA graduates. As an incentive, Nelly will receive a total of P12,000 from the provincial government of Negros Occidental.
She is the second among the three children of farmers Nestor and Josefina Ambrocio. Unlike other farmers who are into high value crops and other root crops, Nelly’s family is into flower farming.
They plant and sell Chrysanthemums in their almost one-hectare ancestral land.
To help her parents, Nelly’s weekend routine includes harvesting flowers every Saturday morning, packing flowers for transport, spending the night in the vicinity of St. John Baptist Parish Church in Bago City to sell flowers before the first mass every Sunday.
Nelly said that her family earns between P1,500.00 to P2,000.00 per week, just enough for their basic needs.
Nelly thanked Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson and the Negros Occidental Scholarship Program for the support extended to her until she finished her four-year course, as well as 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 were conferred Cum Laude during the graduation ceremony and will each be given a P5,000 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; Altheia Kate Monceda and Trisia Mae Regala of Hinobaan.
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 endeavors.
He said that he will continue to provide support to the less privileged but deserving children of farmers, fisherfolk and livestock raisers to uplift the quality of life of their families.
Lacson also lauded the faculty and staff of Catholic Ming Yuan College for training the scholars well and preparing them in their journey to Taiwan for their Master’s degree 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, a press statement from the Capitol said.*
