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Published on August 22, 2007

Lawrence Medina and Paulo Manzanilla, fourth-year students at Philippine Science High School, received US$1,500 (Bt51,500) as a grant to initiate an environmental project in school and will attend celebrations of the 20th anniversary of the Montreal Protocol in Canada next month.

"I was very surprised to be the winner because most of the questions were unexpected, even though we did prepare ourselves very well," said Paulo.

He said the competition had provided him with knowledge about the ozone layer and its importance in protecting the environment.

The pair will disseminate this information to their school and society to raise more awareness about environmental problems, particularly air pollution in Manila

A team from Sri Lanka was second in the competition, with Thailand and Malaysia taking the third and fourth places.

Apinut Wongkietkachorn and Ajaree Sattaratnamai, of Triam Udomsuksa School, represented Thailand.

Apinut said it was a good chance for Thai students to share knowledge with students from other countries. "I did not feel that other students were rivals because we were aiming to help each other," he said.

The Regional Ozone Quiz Competition was organised by UNEP in cooperation with Bangkok's Ruamrudee International School, where the semi-finals and final were held.

Most questions tested scientific and historical knowledge of the Montreal Protocol.

Thanavat Junchaya, regional network coordinator for UNEP, said the competition aimed to make students more aware about environmental problems in this region and around the world.

Pongphon Sarnsamak

The Nation