COME February 21, 10 teams will try to stop the Faculty of Arts and Letters from achieving its hopes of a grand slam in the 27th annual Pautakan, the longest running intercollegiate quiz contest in the country.
It will also be the last year of the colorful and epic face-off between Engineering wiz Germaine Ang and Artlets prodigy Wilfred Ritona in the individual category. While Ang is looking to take home the grand-slam title, her rival Ritona, who is graduating like Ang, will have his final chance to snag one.
History is in the making in this year’s Pautakan. But unexpected things may yet happen.
Architecture: Starting from scratch
With no remnant of last year’s batch, the College of Architecture faces an uphill climb
Architecture junior Emereauldine Eliseo is this year’s team captain. Mary Ann Lim, Aiko Ramirez, Rommel de Guzman, Benarvin Garcia, Pamela de Guzman, and Eleanor Santos make up the rest of the team.
Forecast
Team: Prospects are dim for the Ateliers to even repeat last year’s mid-table finish.
Individual: Expect Eliseo to find the competition as tough as doing an architectural plate.
Arts and Letters: A grand slam
The door is now wide open for the Faculty of Arts and Letters to fulfill its dream – to bring home and to keep the Pautakan revolving trophy.
Yet, the road will still be bumpy for the Artlets. With virtually all teams geared to stop it from scoring grand slam, the Artlets must focus on the goal.
Pautakan old hand Armand Delfin will try to steer Artlets to the promise land and crack the whip on Kathlyn Sta. Maria, Jann Sauberon, Edeliz Tan Patrick Gamboa, Wilfred Ritona, and new player Mark Juanchon.
Forecast
Team: Despite the departure of last year’s team captain Berjer Capati, the team is relatively intact. Expect the Artlets to hit all cylinders to succeed.
Individual: Always the bridesmaid never the bride. Or is it, always the best man, never the groom? This is the last chance for boy wonder Ritona to snag the individual category title from nemesis Germaine Ang.
Civil Law: Back in session
After more than a decade of hiatus, the Faculty of Civil Law makes its return to the Pautakan. But Civil Law must remember that things are not what they used to be when they last joined.
It will be interesting to see how Civil Law, shored up by freshmen, would fare against powerhouses Engineering, Medicine, Commerce, and the Artlets.
Marc Solano, Paul Curimao, Maria Efelin Adaoag, Romina Miranda, and Errol Comafay make up Civil Law.
Forecast
Team: The team members are newbies in Pautakan. Surviving the eliminations is arduous. If they manage a miracle, going to the next stage is even harder.
Individual: Errol Comafay will find that the individual category is like a regular class day of Roman Law, especially with the triumvirate of Ang, Ritona, and Cajanding around.
Commerce: Cruising along
The College of Commercehas managed to grab a spot in the top three for the last four years. But will it be just contented with that?
Commerce has perhaps the best chances to trounce the Artlets or Engineering. But its inability to finish strong is a weakness it must address. Commerce has yet to win a Pautakan crown.
Freidrich Bacani leads the charge this year with veterans Timothy Javier, Bernard Tumaru, and Smith Lim backing him up. Michael Gadia, Ray Oineza, and Luijies Rufon are the new players.
Forecast
Team: The core group that achieved the runner-up finishes is still intact. Commerce must not just hang around the competition. It must stop waiting.
Individual: Smith Lim’s name is intimidating. But intimidation is not good enough. He must deliver.
Education: Breaking the slump
The College of Education last won the Pautakan crown in 1991. But it has since been haunted by mediocrity. It been building up through the years, but it must cope with the competition.
English major Philip Hilario is this year’s team captain. Lovelene Guiaya, Xandra Guevarra, and Jomel de Guzman are members for the last time. Robert Arenas, Nancy Castro, and Kristine Castro are rookies.
Forecast
Team: Education fell from the ranks last year, crumbling midway through the elimination. It has to fix its perennial problem of choking to enter the final round.
Individual: Despite his years as a member of the Education team, Philip Hilario will be like sheep among the wolves, namely Ritona and Ang.
Engineering: Crucial period
For the past years, the lack of cohesion worked against the Faculty of Engineering from stopping Artlets on its tracks.
The most dominant Pautakan team in the 90s, Engineering must make the necessary adjustments to finally end the Pautakan dominance of the Artlets.
Sans last year’s team captain Ronald Pineda, Kaye Ong assumes the leader’s role with Germaine Ang, Mark Ancheta, Jennifer Balog, and Yvette Taberna as reliable old-timers. Archie Co and Jerico Maliwanag make their debut.
Forecast
Team: Last year, Engineering performed badly, rallying during the final minutes of the game to have a respectable finish. It will try all means to stop Artlets from capturing grand-slam title, so expect a head-on collision between both teams.
Individual: Gunning for a grand slam herself, Ang will face another stiff competition from Ritona.
Medicine: Transgressing mediocrity
Since time immemorial, the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery has served a catch basin for former Pautakan team captains and members from the allied sciences, such as Nursing, Rehabilitation Sciences, Pharmacy, and Science.
However, despite the loads of talents joining it every year, Medicine can not seem to win the title it last held in 1993.
This year will be crucial one for Medicine since four members will be making their final appearance in Pautakan: team captain Charlemagne Aguinaldo, Patrick Co, Maila Torillo, and Emmanuel Garduque. Allen Sy, Earl Sempio, and former Pharmacy team captain Lorenzo Tan Jr. round up the team.
Forecast
Team: Medicine has the ability to jump early and grab the lead during the early goings of the contest. But it also has the bad habit of fading away during the crucial stages of the game. Will this take place again?
Individual: A tried and tested Pautakan veteran for seven years, Aguinaldo will be hard-pressed to bring back his glory days when he was with Pharmacy.
Nursing: Looming threat
One of the teams looking for its first taste of Pautakan glory, the College of Nursing needs to pick up its tempo and become more consistent.
Joseph Cajanding, Kristine Sedillo, Jourdan Soriano, Christine Tayamen, and Allen Sai make up the veteran core of the Nursing team. Adelle Dejon is the newcomer.
Forecast
Team: The team that nearly broke into the finals and gave other teams a run for their money. With youth and enthusiasm on its side, it has good chances of succeeding.
Individual: The youngest contender to break into the individual category finals last year, Cajanding will have the Herculean task of facing Ritona or Ang.
Pharmacy: Show me the formula?
The Faculty of Pharmacy must devise a formula to solve its middling performance of late. It last won the Pautakan diadem in 1994.
Team captain Floyd Batongbakal, Marigie Cariño, and Rino Silva are the only members left from last year’s team. Michael Tongol, Karolle Medina, Shayne Villafuerte, and Stephanie Lao are newcomers.
Forecast
Team: History shows Pharmacy always makes it past the elimination round. However, the finals are a completely different question.
Individual: Rookie Tongol makes his debut. And like the other greenhorns, the going is expected to be difficult.
Rehabilitation Sciences: Big task
Known then as the Institute of Physical Therapy, the College of Rehabilitation Sciences twice stole the thunder from Engineering in 1998 and 2000.
But since then, CRS has yet to land in the top three.
Just like what they do in the previous years, CRS will employ a balanced attack to either match up or get even with other teams.
Forecast
Team: Will CRS just rest on its laurels and allow Artlets to score a grand slam? Or will it be a formidable free to Artlets, just like what it did against Engineering nearly six years ago.
Individual: Janrey Vargas is a Pautakan veteran. But this is the first time he will be joining in the individual race, and it will be a different story.
Science: Vanishing away
The team that dominated the 80’s, with then rival Medicine, Science has been floundering lately.
Things aren’t looking quite bright this year either.
Unlike last year’s veteran team, Science will be sporting a rookie team with Biology senior and team captain Warren Bacorro as the only veteran. Lizette Lopez, Jose Vela, Ralph Porneso, Martin Bernabe, Jalil Avila, and Ser-Emil Marquez are all newbies.
Forecast
Team: Since it is mainly composed of new players, Science may find it difficult to survive the first phase.
Individual: Bacorro joins the list of new players in the individual category who will have to face old-timers Ritona and Ang.
Billy Joe I. Allardo
