Mission- I *HEART* the Philippines 2010: Contest Winners!

Amidst the cacophony of political squabbles, economic woes, and showbiz nonsense, it can be very difficult to see the good in the Philippines and among Filipinos. But if we just stay still for a bit, look around, listen, and feel – we need not exert too much effort to experience the best of the Philippines and the Filipino.

In celebration of my blog's Year IV online, I put together a mini-contest to encourage fellow bloggers to express what they *heart* about the Philippines. Here's what they shared:

SuperMommyJem absolutely loves our Christmas season in the Philippines- replete with four F's – food, family, fun, and faith. There's even a very personal reason why December in the Philippines is extra special to her. Check out her SuperMommyJem's blog to find out.

Cornelio03, on the other hand, chose to highlight the various forms of heroism in our country. He brought to the fore personalities and events that showcase the unique love Pinoys have for their people amid seemingly insurmountable problems. I did not know Emilio Aguinaldo's wife played a crucial role in our struggle for independence from Spain. Learn what role she played by hopping over to Cornelio03's blog.

Chin chin put together the tastiest entry, featuring four Filipino gustatory delights. I think these four food items represent us Pinoys well. Have a bite of Chin chin's offering in her blog.

Luckyfinds describes the mysterious connection among us Filipinos as the best aspect of being one. She writes a timely recall of a great display of Filipino empathy that happened a year ago. It's an experience all of us can relate to. Her thoughts on Pinoy kindness can be found here.

I would like to thank these four courageous bloggers for writing about what's great about the Philippines and Filipinos when it is, at times, easier to rant and whine. Mabuhay kayo!

And now, the winners:

Free 7-day advertisement in the Adgitize network worth $7: SuperMommyJem

Free 7-day advertisement in the Adgitize network worth $7: Cornelio03

Free 7-day advertisement in the Adgitize network worth $7: Luckyfinds

Free 31-day advertisement in the Adgitize network worth $14: Chin chin

Thank you and Congratulations!

PS- As was stated in the contest rules, winners can opt to have the Adgitize ad prize or the equivalent amount deposited to their PayPal account =] Although I highly recommend taking the Adgitize option =] Please leave a comment under this post to let me know the email address through which I can contact you fastest =]

Mission- I *HEART* the Philippines 2010: Contest Continues til Sept. 25th

Baguio Boracay Batanes Batangas Bohol Bantayan - Which Philippine vacation place is the world's best?

Balagtas Rizal F.S.Jose Zafra De Quiros - Which Filipino author wields the mightiest pen?

Greenhills Market! Market! Colon Baclaran Divisoria - What is the true shoppers' haven of the Philippines?

Lechon balut adobo sinigang kwek-kwek - Which Pinoy food best exemplifies our people?


Enlist in MISSION- I *HEART* THE PHILIPPINES!

Share what you love most about being a Filipino or about being in the Philippines and do your part in promoting Pinoy pride.

State the obvious or bring to the fore what the current challenges the country faces obscure from the world's appreciation.

And since this is also a blogoversary contest to celebrate my blogs year 4 online, some $35-worth of prizes are also up for grabs to lucky bloggers, including Adgitize ads and Entrecard credits.

For contest details click please here.

Contest ends on September 25th.

Fourth Blog Anniversary Contest: Mission- I *HEART* the Philippines 2010

This September, I am celebrating my blog's fourth year in the blogosphere. Throughout the 349-odd posts I've churned out, I tried my best to give my two-cents on topics ranging from sports to politics to movies and faith. I tried my best to share with the stragglers who wander into my blog the things I am most passionate about. And if I were to base my passion-meter on the labels I most frequently used to tag my posts, then I would have to say I love the Philippines and thinking aloud the most.

To celebrate my Year IV on this blogging platform, I am launching a simple (and my first-ever) blogging contest-

Mission: I *Heart* the Philippines.

I did two editions of this writing prompt in 2006 and 2008. It's turning out to be a biennial event; but methinks it ought to be done for frequently.

I envision this contest to be a means by which bloggers with strong positive feelings about the Philippines will be able to share their thoughts, favorite memories, and experiences. In the face of all the challenges in and around our country, I feel it is also important to celebrate what is good in the Philippines and among Filipinos to serve as additional inspiration to strive harder to be the best versions of ourselves as a nation.

Here are the contest details.

It is open to any blogger regardless of nationality, location, political color, etc. Newbie and veteran bloggers with single or multiple blogs are welcome.

To join the contest, the blogger must write a blog entry with the following...

Topic: Please write about four Philippine-related items you feel strongly positive about. It maybe four beaches, four churches, four street delicacies, four movies, four hotels, four artists, four Filipino attitudes, four historical figures, four stamps, four books, four blogs- a set of four-anything Filipino that you find fantastic and can't help but share to the world. You can choose Philippine objects, personalities, places, events, etc.

Blog title:
I *heart* the (beaches/churches/streetfood/movies/hotels/heroes/blogs/etc) of/in the Philippines = topic you wrote about or a noun/pair of nouns that summarize/s the list you wrote about most succinctly (heroism/talents/etc)

For example- I *heart* the beaches of the Philippines

Content: I hope the blog post will not be a mere listing of what you love but will include some annotation. Pictures- personal or borrowed from the web- would be most welcome. Best also if the blog would be at least 100 words long.

Tone: Light and positive.

Language: English. The blog post can partly be in our local Philippine language but there should an English translation ng mga salita na nasa Tagalog (of the words in Tagalog).

Badge: Please add at the end of your post-

[This is an entry to MISSION: I *HEART* THE PHILIPPINES]

And kindly add this badge at the bottom of your post.

Copy and Paste Code

<a href="http://elsalvadordelmundo.blogspot.com/2010/09/fourth-blog-anniversary-contest-mission.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x150/ianfgomez/mihtp_flag.jpg" border="0"></a>

The contest will run for two weeks, from September 12 to 25, 2010.

A blogger can enter a maximum of three (3) entries for the contest. Bloggers with multiple blogs can enter a maximum of three (3) entries per blog. Each blog post entry must have gone online no earlier than September 12.

To enter the contest, just leave a comment on this post with this format:
Q: What's the best thing about the Philippines?
A: (Your one sentence reply)
Blog title:
Link to entry:

Deadline for entering the contest is on Saturday, September 25, 2010 at 8am Philippine Standard Time (+8GMT)

I will visit your link and see if your entry meets the minimum requirements of the contest. I will post a blog entry on Sunday, September 26, 2010 8pm Philippine Standard Time (+8GMT) to highlight the blogs who joined the contest and announce the winners of my mini contest.

Prizes for winning entries:

2 winners Adgitize gift card for a 7-day run of your blog's ad on the Adgitize network ($7 value) each
= courtesy of a very generous contest supporter
1 winner Adgitize gift card for a 31-day run of your blog's ad on the Adgitize network ($14 value)
= all three will be randomly chosen from entries

1 more winner Adgitize gift card for a 7-day run of your blog's ad on the Adgitize network ($7 value)
= my personal choice among the entries as having the best style (including correct grammar, appropriate use of pics, etc), unique point of view, positive content.

I chose Adgitize gift cards as prizes because I want more people to enjoy the winners' writings by way of driving traffic to your respective sites through Adgitize. But in case you don't want the Adgitize prize, I am willing to send to your PayPal account the dollar equivalent of the prize you won.

To sweeten the pot, the first 10 (10) bloggers with EC widgets to share this contest- not necessarily join it- will each receive 700 Entrecard credits from me. Write about my event and please don't forget to include in your post the badge below. Just please leave a comment again on this announcement with the link to your blogpost announcing my contest.

Copy and Paste Code

<a href="http://elsalvadordelmundo.blogspot.com/2010/09/fourth-blog-anniversary-contest-mission.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x150/ianfgomez/mihtp_flag.jpg" border="0"></a>

It's time to express our pride in our nation and highlight what's positive in our country. It's time to share our positive encounters with Filipinos and unforgettable Philippine experiences.

Start writing and be part of the mission- MISSION: I *HEART* THE PHILIPPINES!