A SUMMA cum laude graduate of West Negros University (WNU), Carlos Gerogalin, was awarded Thursday in Malacañang as one of the 10 Outstanding Students of the Philippines (Tosp).

Gerogalin is an institutional scholar, vice president of the WNU Supreme Student Government, Sangguniang Kabataan chairman of Barangay Miranda, Hinigaran, Negros Occidental and a school teacher of Faith Baptist Church.

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He is a graduate of Bachelor in Secondary Education.

TOSP 2009 regional committee chair and Bacolod Councilor Jocelle Batapa-Sigue also announced that of the 30 finalists coming from all regions in the country, Western Visayas garnered five seats with Gerogalin and Marian Frances Ledesma from Bacolod City; and Rubie Anne Bito-On, Jemuel Garcia Jr. and Emerose Katrina Blancada from Iloilo.

From among the 20 regional finalists last April, Gerogalin, Ledesma, Bito-on, Garcia and Blancada were awarded as among the 10 to represent Western Visayas after a one-week formation program initiated by Primitivo Paypon, TOSP national coordinator and Philip Wen Bombita, regional coordinator.

“We are very proud that five or half of the TOSP Western Visayas 2009 were chosen to be among the 30 national finalists,” she added.

Ledesma is a magna cum laude in Bachelor of Science in Nursing of Riverside College, recipient of the 2009 The Outstanding Student (THOS) award of the Bacolod Jaycees Inc., the Riverside College leadership award and the Clinical Proficiency award, an active member and advocate of Solar Generation International and Peta.

Bito-on is a magna cum laude in Bachelor of Science in Information Technology of West Visayas State University, who is also a delegate in the 10th National Ayala Young Leaders’ Congress, 1st placer in the WordPress mini-website creation skills competition, president of the Philippine Society of Information Technology Students of Western Visayas and facilitator of the Hagonoy Youth Leaders’ Congress.

Garcia, on the other hand, is also a magna cum laude in Bachelor of Physical Education of West Visayas State University, an envoy of Bayer environmental trip to Germany, recipient of Allegre Abellardo–Ledesma award for arts and culture and Iwag award for development journalism.

Blancada is a scholar, a magna cum laude in Bachelor of Science in Tourism of John B. Lacson Foundation Maritime University–Molo, recipient of 2005 Ten Outstanding Student Leaders of Iloilo City, and champion of the tourism regional quiz bee.

Founded in 1961 by Jose S. Concepcion Jr., the TOSP has made a significant contribution in amplifying the potentials of the youth to be potent catalysts of change. The TOSP was born along with the 100th year of Dr. Jose Rizal’s birth, who has also been model student with academic citations. With its noble objective, TOSP became a laboratory of leaders producing outstanding contributors in the fields of governance, business, the academe, church and civil society.

In 1994, regional searches were initiated but it was only in 2005 that Region VI was integrated from a mere search activity into a youth program with a formation process formulated and conducted by the TOSP alumni community.

The TOSP regional search is an annual awards program that recognizes outstanding students of the nation for academic excellence, exemplary leadership, community involvement, and moral values. True to its mission, the TOSP Region VI has expanded its activities not only to recognize young leaders but also to start a 10-day formation program as a seed for nation building.