The Department of Education in Palawan (DepEd) Palawan held this year’s Division Musabaqah in Bataraza on May 2-4, where Muslim elementary and high school students around Palawan compete in various contests based on their Islamic culture.
Rodgie Demalinao, Education Program Supervisor for DepEd Palawan’s Mother Tongue Based Multilingual Education, noted that the students were much more prepared for this year’s Musabaqah.
“Ang musabaqah ay Muslim term para sa kumpetisyon. Actually noon pa man [mayroon nang Musabaqah], kaso nag-stop siya nung pandemic, so nag-start kami nakaraan ulit sa Roxas, last year. Mas maganda yung kanilang performance ngayon, last year kasi naninibago pa, kasi bago lang siya naibalik kaya parang nag-adjust sila,” he said.
The Musabaqah had eight contests related to Muslim cultural values. These events were the harf touch, Qur-an reading, oration (Naseehah), Islamic values quiz bee (Imla’), Arabic spelling contest, on-the-Spot poster making contest, Call to Prayer (Adhan) for Dhuhr, and the Qur’an memorization (Hifdhul Qur’an).
All of these contests were centered around topics that were integrated in DepEd’s Madrasah and Arabic Language and Islamic Values Education (ALIVE) programs. The Arabic spelling contest had Muslim students write in Arabic text the English or Arabic word mentioned by the judges, while the Naseehah and the Imla’ focused on facts concerning the Islamic faith and Muslim cultural practices.
Both the Adhan and the Qur’an memorization were done in a public audience, so as to judge the students’ tone and pronunciation.
“Ang Qur’an reading naman ay bubunot sila ng isang Surah (chapter), ido-drone nila yun. Yung pag-read nila, hindi lang read na ordinary kundi may tinatawag na Tarawih at tsaka dapat gandahan ng tono siya,” Demalinao said.
Demalinao noted that the most-awaited contest was the harf touch, where students had to identify the Arabic letter while blindfolded, by tracing a carving on an illustration board.
“Yung inaabangan ng lahat yung harf touch, yung kumakapa ng letter, ‘yan ay paiksian ng oras. That is 28 letters din, dapat makapa siya, masalat siya ng bata kasi naka-uka yung letter. Ang scoring is maiksi ang oras at dapat tama ang pagkabanggit mo ng alifbata,” he said.
Muslim students from Balabac, Coron, Narra, Quezon, Roxas, Rizal, Brooke’s Point, Sofronio Española, and Bataraza competed for a chance to represent the province in the RFOT. The contests were simultaneously held in Bataraza National High School, the Bataraza Mini Coliseum, and the sports complex for three days.
The 2024 Division Musabaqah was initially scheduled for May 19, as the contests were part of the National Festival of Talents (NFOT). However, they held the competitions separately and in advance so as to extend the students’ preparation time for the NFOT on July 9-12.
