Davao City, Philippines �- Benj Arriola, A Filipino Internet Marketing Specialist living in San Diego, CA. was declared winner of the first ever SEO World Championship.

The contest, held early this month, required competitors to strategically integrate crucial web configuration, conclusive graphic and text content, and internet marketing savvy to make specified key words/ phrases rank high in search engine results.

Benj Arriola, a former Chemist professor at De La Salle University in Manila left the country for the US to forge a career in Web Design and Development. His winning blog which focused on global warming awareness issues was chosen with reference to it� s no.1 ranking in an online search conducted by the events� organizers.

A quote from Arriola` s personal blog posting goes: �This win is not completely my win. It is a win of the SEOPhilippines. This contest is a test of one's skill on ranking a certain key phrase in search engines. But the real SEO work is much more than that. I [am] happy I was able to showcase my skills in this contest and was victorious, but I have high respect for all the other competitors since it was not an easy win. I was still worried and nervous up to the last minute of a come-from-behind win from the other competitors. I would like to add that 20 percent of my efforts in getting the top spot in this contest were through the help of the many SEO professionals in my country.� He also added that the SEO skills of Filipinos have increasingly become more recognized by the global industry.

Google country consultant for the Philippines, Aileen Apolo posted the following comment on her personal blog: Arriola's win in the SEO World Championships has definitely put the Philippines in the search engine optimization/marketing outsourcing map. This triumph is a recognition of the growing pool of SEO specialists in the country.