Light a Tree contest winners in Samar bared

By NINFA B. QUIRANTE, PIA Samar
December 25, 2011

CATBALOGAN CITY, Samar  –  After some time of guessing which ‘tree’ shines the brightest, for the judges at least, the Samar provincial government  announced the winners in the “Light a Tree’ contest a few days before Christmas.

The Board of Judges ruled that the tree lighted by the Provincial and Natural Resources Management Office (PENRMO) beside the Pasalubong Center was the best and gave it the grand prize of P50,000.

“We did not expect to win, all we wanted was to comply, but we tried our best, we brainstormed for the best ideas,” Melva Gruta told PIA.

“We built a chapel, church goers and posted Pinoys about to hear mass, and lighted to many bulbs it costs us more than the plum prize,” she added.

But the staff in charge of issuing permits to quarrying and small scale mining did not regret their expenses. “The crowd that gathers nightly and took turns in having their pictures taken in the PENRMO corner is enough ‘return of investments,” a shy PENRMO offered.

Their concept worked as the theme has something to do with ‘Paskong Pinoy’.

Gaining second place was also a well lighted SAMELCO 2 corner complete with a Pinoy village and gigantic array of stars with lights seemingly flowing from the top.

Samar National School, the biggest high school in all of Samar garnered the third prize.

Before the announcement of the winner, Alejo Quitalig and Sonny Basijan from the office of Governor Sharee Ann Tan held a raffle draw with P25,000 as grand prize, then partying took off and lasted until the wee hours of the morning.