Thanks to the power of the internet, the team was able to do an interview with Churchill John Tabuada, 17 years old, and a native of General Santos City. Churchill is one of the three boy geniuses who will be representing the country on the 4th ASEAN Quiz this December 3, 2009.

Genius as he is, Churchill is still a young adolescent who likes to have his free time.  But as the competition nears, he is burning the midnight oil. .

I was able to know more about Churchill through chatting (again, thank you Internet) and I’m happy I did for I gained a little brother. So here is how the interview goes…

NBNi: What are the names of parents?

Churchill: Saturnino S. Tabuada, an Ilonggo, and Risha L. Lazo, an Ilokana.

NBNi: How many are you in the family?

Churchill: I am the eldest. Next is a Michael, 12 years old, and Irene Grace, 6, then   there’s Mama an Papa.

NBNi : Things that always caught your interest?

Churchill: Novels, books on leadership, governance, psychology, interested in peaceful, rural life, fishing(when I lived once in Agusan), World war II movies, sorcery movies with great logic like Harry Potter, and .forums and debates.

NBNi: Do you play sports?

Churchill: Yes I do.

NBNi: What kind?

Churchill: Both physical and mental sports. Chess is my favourite since grade 2 when I started playing it. I also play basketball and badminton.

NBNi: Other activities? (School-related and others)

Churchill: I’m the editor-in chief of our school paper, and excels most in writing feature and editorial articles. I qualified for the regional schools press conference but will never be able to join the contest this December kasi sabay sa ASEAN Quiz. I also joined an oratorical speaking contest and mapalad na nag second placer. Napili din po ako na maging isa sa mga city junior officials kaso nag coincide sa rigid review namin ng coach ko. So I chose to quit. Sa labas ng school, at sa loob ng church, naging youth preacher din ako. Club president din po ng campus Honor Society Club, Science Club, JEM and officer ng city-wide JEM Council.

NBNi: What do you do on your free time?

Churchill: Usually, nagsusulat ng kahit anong interesting poems, short stories and essays. Sometimes I do song composition (love songs, kinocompile ko pa sa ngayon) and listening to soft music. I like anime. I write my diary also during free time, or just reading anything (my addictive habit kasi kahit lumang material, binabasa)

NBNi: What are you planning to take up on college?

Churchill: Media studies or political science (scopes kasi ito ng mga linya ko)

NBNi: You have mentioned that you like writing. Why?

Churchill: I really believe kasi na kung mahilig kang magbasa, mostly, ma-ho-hook ka rin sa writing… It’s my form of expression kung saan I could at least connect my imaginations to reality. Writing has been my best pal and a real comforter. I condemn people thru writing, make my own rules, and build my own world… Pero it’s my means talaga to keep myself in touch with reality

NBNi: In what subjects you think you excel most? Which is your favourite?

Churchill: I excel in social studies, particularly economics… it’s one of my favourites alongside Physics, Trigonometry and English.

NBNi: You said that sometimes your family are experiencing financial problems, how do you overcome this hindrance?

Churchill: First of course is mind-setting. If I take such problem as a hindrance, psychologically, maaapektuhan ako. I take it as a challenge. Second, my family is very supportive. When trials come, ang bawa’t isa ang aming inspirasyon to stand strong.

NBNi: What do you feel knowing that among a number of contestants in the National Competition, you ranked as the 3^rd placer?

Churchill: I felt so blessed and privileged, and really abundant in self-esteem kasi I sometimes don’t believe in myself until my coach chose me as her contestant.

NBNi: What preparations are you doing to top the finals?

Churchill: We stayed on rigid, one-on-one review with my coach, getting all our inputs from the internet and lots of prayer. Kasi wala naman talaga akong makakamtan unless it’s given by God to me.

NBNi: How do you feel knowing that you are one of the finalists who will be representing the country in the ASEAN quiz?

Churchill: I’m so proud of my little school , kasi kung hindi dahil sa Labangal National High school and my coach, Miss Shiela Balbon, hindi talaga ako makakaabot dito. I’m really thankful to God

NBNi: Who do you think are the people behind your success? Why?

Churchill: First is God, my family, relatives, churchmates, my coach, our teachers, classmates, ung crush ko sa school, mga taga-GenSan ..  .marami pa po (laughs)

NBNi: Given the chance to win the finals, what will you do with the prize money?

Churchill: I’ll use the money to provide me and my siblings with school needs. Give it to my parents for better utilization. And share it with my coach.

The Philippines is the coordinating country for the 4th ASEAN Quiz which will be held from November 30-December 4, 2009. Designated as the implementing agency is the National Broadcasting Network with the Department of Foreign Affairs, Department of Education, Office of the Press Secretary, Bureau of Broadcast Services and the Philippine Information Agency as cooperating agencies.
As approved in the Preparatory Meeting, the theme of the 4th ASEAN Quiz Regional Competition is “Towards Building the ASEAN Community-Preserve Green ASEAN”.

The ASEAN Quiz, which started as a project of the ASEAN Committee on Culture and Information in 2002, is a biannual competition on knowledge of ASEAN participated in by students of private and public high schools from the ten ASEAN member states.

It aims to elicit the spirit of healthy competition among the ASEAN youth on the secondary school level in a friendly quiz game that educates the youth about the various ASEAN cultural, political, economic and social information; create awareness among the youth and the general public on ASEAN and its Member States; increase public awareness by involving the media in providing wide media coverage and publicity of the event and by encouraging linkages and the participation of the private sector in the event.

It  will be held from 30 November-04 December 2009 in Quezon City, Philippines. The venue of the Quiz Proper on December 3 will be at the Henry Lee Irwin SJ Theater, Ateneo de Manila University, Loyola Heights, Quezon City.

It will be aired on NBN Channel 4 on December 13th and December 20th at 2PM.

Participants

Nine (9) ASEAN member states — Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, Viet Nam and the Philippines will participate in the 4th ASEAN Regional Quiz. Malaysia will not be able to join in this year’s Quiz owing to a conflict with its dates for the national examinations for students.

Each member state will have four delegates – three (3) students and one coach/country coordinator.

The Philippine delegates are John Carl A. Camayan of Cagayan National High School, Aries Joseph Hegina of Naga City Science HIgh School, and Churchill John Tabuada of Labangal National High School, General Santos City.

Delegates are expected to arrive on November 29 and 30, 2009 and depart on December 04, 2009.