The battle had been fought and new teams emerged as winners.
Fourteen tribes from the different faculties and colleges in the university set foot in the St. Martin de Porres’ Buliding Auditorium last February 23rd for Pautakan 2010: The 33rd Intercollegiate Quiz Contest. Spearheaded by The Varsitarian, the Pautakan this year had a “tribal” approach, representing each college or faculty as a warrior, ready to take on any challenge and combat impending “foes”.
Opening the event was Ms. Alena Pias Bantolo, Pautakan Chairperson, followed immediately by the introduction of the teams by Ms. Sarah Pauyo, Pautakan Vice-Chairperson. Mr. Claude Despabiladeras, an alumnus from the College of Education, was invited as the quiz master. His quirky and spontaneous personality, added by the relentless thunders of cheers from the audience, lifted the tension from the participants and strengthened their spirits as each of them prepared to wittingly and courageously battle it out with the other teams.
All teams engaged in a game of survival during the team elimination round as each of them struggled for a position in the championship. Towards the end, it became a neck to neck competition for the first spot between AMV-Accountancy and the Engineering. Commerce and Science had to go through a clincher round due to a tie in the fifth spot. After a series of questions, it was Science who snagged the fifth place. AMV-Accountancy proudly took the first place, followed by Engineering while Nursing and Arts and Letters finished at third and fourth places respectively.
A heavier weight was placed on the representatives in the individual elimination round. The participants kept nudging their way towards the top, trying to single-handedly raise their own team flags. In the end, it was the Faculty of Arts and Letters who placed first, second was Accountancy, Engineering, Science and Nursing completed the top five at third, fourth and fifth places respectively.
The contest intensified during the peak of the contest, the championship, for both the individual and team category. Each of the five remaining teams unleashed their remaining key weapons to outplay the other teams. The last minutes of the contest had the audience at the edge of their seats while wishing that every answer would grant points to the team they were rooting for. The difficult round was a gripping moment for everyone as it will determine which teams will enter the top 3. The auditorium was filled with booming howls and applauses as the AMV-Accountancy reigned supreme as the new champion and holder of the Pautakan trophy in the team category. Nursing gloriously took the first place and the Arts and Letters, although dethroned as the champion, still remained at the top 3 as the second placer. The Arts and Letters’ defeat was however balanced by their declaration as champion in the individual category. AMV-Accountancy won first place and Engineering bagged the second place.
Karina Mara S. Evangelista
[nggallery id=22]
