JEJOMAR Villacorte, an elementary teacher from Tacloban City, won first place in the Asia-Pacific Centre of Education for International Understanding’s (APCEIU) Challenge for 2020 Sharing Stories on Asia Pacific Education Movement (SSAEM) Online Conference.

Dr. Ramir Uytico, Department of Education (DepEd) regional director, lauded Villacorte for raising the banner of DepEd-Eastern Visayas.

“He has now reaped successes from his hard work and determination. Aside from his achievement of being the only one from the region who passed the rigorous screening for the Philippines-Korea Teacher Exchange Programme, he has surpassed my expectations,” he said.

“Having won in this international competition, he has proven that Region 8 is great. I hope all teachers in Region 8 would also find ways to give honor to the Department,” Uytico told SunStar Philippines.

The SSAEM is an annual gathering of various stakeholders and the general public together.

It aims to maximize the impact of Asia-Pacific Teacher Exchange by sharing experiences of all Teacher Exchange Programme from partner countries, according to the DepEd.

“The challenge is organized to promote the upcoming 2020 Online SSAEM Conference and provide alumni with a broader range of opportunities to participate in the event and to produce a video for the opening ceremony and create valuable educational materials,” DepEd said in a memorandum dated August 3.

Earlier, Villacorte was also awarded as one of the outstanding Tacloban City division scholars for participating in the Korea-Philippines Teacher Exchange Programme for three months.

Villacorte is currently a Teacher-III at the Rizal Central School in Tacloban. (SunStar Philippines)