World Championship of Public Speaking - A Trivia for Filipinos.

Filipino Toastmasters should be proud of this.

There are already around 70 World Championships of Public Speaking to date. Only four are from Districts Not Assigned to Regions (DNAR):

1998 Brett Rutledge (Auckland, New Zealand)
1996 David Nottage (Auckland, New Zealand)
1985 Marie C. Pyne (Ireland)
1982 Kenneth Bernard (Australia)

There were fewer female champions - only three:

1986 M. Arabella Bengson (Islington, Ontario, Canada)
1985 Marie C. Pyne (Ireland)
1977 Evelyn Jane Burgay (Springfield, Virginia)

Marie Pyne of Ireland's achievement is remarkable because she is both a female and from DNAR.

But, do you know that a Filipino has actually won a World Championship of Public Speaking? Let me correct myself. The Filipino is actually a Filipina! Yes, she is one of the only three women World Champion of Public Speaking - Ma. Arabella Bengson! She represented the then Region 7, if I am not mistaken. Yet, she is unmistakebly of Filipino ethnicity.

With the election of Johhny "Pawe" Uy as the first Filipino Toastmasters International President, my interest in the Filipino's achievements in Toastmasters became an obsession. ;) so, when I stumbled upon the information that Arabella is actually Filipina, I tried to contact her.

I did! Not only Arabella but her husband as well. Fraser McAllan in an email told me that he is "privileged to be her partner in life, work and play."

I will share with you more information Fraser and Arabella will pass on to me. Wait and see.

For the meantime, why don't we plan to invite them to conduct workshops for us?