Tag: "maria janua polinar ninoy aquino"
Pinoy receives a Controversial Stolen Kiss from a Girl Student - Maria Janua Polinar
Maria Janua Polinar's controversial stolen kiss to President Benigno Aquino III
Maria Janua Polinar, 22, graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, magna cum laude, from Central Mindanao University (CMU) and one of the 2012 Ten Outstanding Students of the Philippines (TOSP) awardees, took the liberty of embracing and kissing the President on the cheek soon after she was handed a plaque in Malacañang Thursday.
The crowd of students and academicians at the Rizal Ballroom broke into applause when she suddenly planted a kiss on his cheek.
Polinar explained that she was looking forward to the awarding ceremony in the Palace because of her fascination with the presidency. Meeting with the President became a magical moment for the starstruck Polinar, who is now taking up law.
“He was really fighting corruption, reporting on the improvements in government. Meeting him in person, with all those developments in the Philippines, is like, ‘Wow!’”
“I took political science, so we’re really studying the government … Seeing him in person was, ‘My God! This is the reality!’ This is really political science. You’re studying it, now you’re seeing the physical structure.”
A multiawarded student leader, Polinar was a trainer and facilitator of the Citizen’s Voter Education program at CMU, and the antidrug campaign “Barkada Kontra Droga Advocacy” of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency.
“Being excellent and outstanding are two things that are equally significant in today’s society. Being excellent is a quality that would undermine inequality, injustice and inefficiency. Being outstanding, on the other hand, is a quality that would undermine disrespect, dishonesty and disobedience,” she said.
Asked to recall what transpired before the kiss, she fondly recalled asking Mr. Aquino’s permission.
