THE INTELLECTUAL Holy Grail returns to their halls.
Pautakan hall-of-famer Faculty of Arts and Letters (Artlets) is back on its feet again after reclaiming the championship of the University quiz contest this year from a lowly seventh place finish last year.
Back in the top five from its two-year absence including a one-year break as hall-of-famers, Artlets overtook first runner-up Alfredo M. Velayo-College of Accountancy in the cerebral race with a 20-point lead last March 9 at the Medicine Auditorium.
“Our victory was a product of dedication, passion and divine intervention,” said team captain Ailyn Bariso, who led the seven-man Artlets team’s comeback from a 20-point Accountancy lead in the middle of the difficult round before reclaiming the crown via a 155-point romp. Accountancy took bridesmaids honors with 135 points.
“Our team was already confident come the 11th question that we will win this competition,” said AB-BSE senior Jerome Ordillano, last year’s Pautakan individual champion.
Engineering finished at third place with 85 points.
“Before leaving the stage I thought our team will not make it to the top three. I was very surprised,” said team captain and individual category contestant Rhovee Vistan of Engineering, who placed second in the individual category in last year’s competition.
Last year’s Pautakan champion College of Nursing and perennial finalist College of Science completed the top five with 75 and 55 points, respectively.
Accountancy senior Fermin Yabut wrapped up his college’s most impressive Pautakan performance thus far by answering three consecutive questions in his clincher-round face-off with eventual second-placer Jan Benzon Chan of the College of Nursing to register a 55.4-55.0 victory in the individual category.
“I just hoped that the easy questions would drop in but I really think my victory is purely God’s will,” Yabut said.
Katrina Rigodon of the College of Rehabilitation Sciences placed third with 50 points.
Completing the roster of winners in the individual category are Ordillano of Arts and Letters (fourth) and Bon Peralta of the Conservatory of Music (fifth) who scored 35 and 10 points, respectively. This year also marked Music’s debut in the top five of the individual category.
Before the start of the tournament, an audio-visual presentation was shown in honor of Artlets Prof. Rogelio Obusan who passed away last December. Obusan was recognized by the Varsitarian for his 25th year as Pautakan resource person in UST History last year.
