NOW in its 45th edition, Pautakan, the country’s longest-running intercollegiate quiz bee, is set for its biggest staging yet, drawing a record 16 teams representing various academic units in UST.
Organized by the Varsitarian, the annual quiz competition will take place on April 28 at the Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati, O.P. Auditorium on the 21st floor of the UST Senior High School building.
Participants for the team and individual categories will be tested on a wide range of topics — from humanities to history, science, mathematics, UST history, and general information — in pursuit of unlocking the ultimate vault of knowledge.
Who will crack the code?
UST-Alfredo M. Velayo College of Accountancy
With two math olympiads on its side, the UST-Alfredo M. Velayo College of Accountancy is gearing up to make a splash in this year’s Pautakan and break its seven-year title drought dating to 2018.
Accountancy team captain Josef Andres said broad subject mastery would be key to achieving this.
“We have the manpower and the resources to specialize in each subject and then some,” Andres said. “In Pautakan, every point matters. A subject that is disregarded only lessens your odds of final victory.”
College of Architecture
Fielding an entirely new roster, the College of Architecture faces the dual challenge of fierce competition and inexperience.
Despite this, captain Dezha Armamento said the team is eager to make its presence known.
“For now, our focus is to build a solid dynamic, do our best in the competition, gain valuable insights, and make our community proud,” Amamento said. “Hopefully, we get to leave a lasting mark for our college.”
Faculty of Arts and Letters
With eight titles to its name, the Faculty of Arts and Letters (Artlets) stands as the second winningest team in Pautakan history. However, the championship has eluded the faculty for the past 16 years.
Motivated by its performance last year, Artlets has intensified its preparations in all areas of the contest, said team captain Travis de Luna.
“When we lost last year, it was a rude awakening for all of us to try harder,” De Luna said. “We’re definitely working on improving our performance in all categories. The team believes that no matter what, we hope to give a good fight.”
Faculty of Civil Law
Still in search of its first Pautakan crown, the Faculty of Civil Law enters this year’s contest with tempered but hopeful expectations.
Team captain Ghislaine Faye said the team’s preparations are focused on performance rather than the pressure to win.
“Although the competition might be tougher this time, we’re focusing more on performing well in the game. We are giving our best in preparation, focusing on our own competencies and excellence rather than just beating our opponents,” Faye said.
“Last year’s team managed to perform better than we expected, albeit we did not make it to the final round. This year, we will definitely prioritize regular study sessions to strengthen our collaboration and knowledge-sharing. Hopefully, we can achieve a podium finish,” she added.
College of Commerce and Business Administration
The College of Commerce and Business Administration is on a mission to get its maiden Pautakan title, boosting its campaign with more disciplined preparation, according to team captain Lorenz Lopez.
“Our team has been preparing for the upcoming competition through dedicated training sessions that are sure to help us in the long run. Our team has realized that proper review, teamwork, and preparation are key to bagging a win at the 45th Pautakan,” Lopez said.
College of Education
With the team’s roster intact, the College of Education is ready to make a stronger push for a spot on the Pautakan podium, as it aims to build on its intense preparation and solid performance last year.
Team captain Nathan Orencia said assigning subject areas to each member deepened the team’s understanding of the competition’s coverage.
“We’re hungry to get our revenge and take our place on the podium. But more than that, we are just happy to have the trust of our college and once again have the honor of representing the torchbearers,” Orencia said.
“We have great expectations not only for ourselves, but also our competitors and the organizing team,” he added. “We are expecting an epic battle of wits.”
Faculty of Engineering
Defending champion Faculty of Engineering is entering the competition with 13 titles — the most in Pautakan history — and the pressure to go back-to-back.
Shrugging off expectations, team captain Mayumi Calpotura said the team is focused on addressing gaps in its mastery of subject areas and relishing the competition.
“Honestly, it is a lot of pressure so we plan to just go with the flow and not let the pressure get to us,” she said. “We expect and hope that it’s going to be just like last year — fun and with a trophy at the end.”
College of Information and Computing Sciences
The College of Information and Computing Sciences (CICS) is entering Pautakan 2025 reloaded, having engaged in an improved training program and with newcomers added to its roster.
Team captain Rien Buendia emphasized the importance of team chemistry and structured preparation.
“We have a few roster changes to cover up for opt-outs and we now have a more structured schedule of review sessions as well,” Buendia said.
“There’s a high expectation for us by the whole CICS community especially in the individual category, where we fell just shy of the podium,” he added. “But we love playing with a chip on our shoulders as it gives us the extra firepower we need to do well in the competition.”
Faculty of Medicine and Surgery
Finishing second in the 2024 edition mattered a lot for the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, the third winningest team in Pautakan history, with seven titles under its belt.
But team captain AJ Abat emphasized that the team must not let the pressure catch up on the members. When the team steps on stage, the sole focus should be on executing what it had prepared for, he said.
“With a nice placing last year, there may be heavy expectations to repeat or to exceed last year’s performance, but amongst ourselves in the team, we’re just going into the competition to have fun and do our best,” Abat said.
“The perceived pressure won’t really do many of us good. We’re going into and out of Pautakan with our heads held high, regardless of the outcome,” he added.
Conservatory of Music
Armed with experience, the Conservatory of Music is more confident this time around.
With half of its members returning from last year’s experience, team captain Lauren Cudo said the anticipation is higher as the conservatory seeks its first Pautakan championship.
“We’re going in blind but more confident than last year. Compared with last year we’ve also started our individual preparations early so we’re setting up a more solid foundation,” Cudo said.
“The aim last year was to get the feel of the quiz bee and not get last place. The aim this year is to try and reach the finals like our alumni did before us,” she added.
College of Nursing
Joining Pautakan while attending to clinical duties is no easy feat. But the College of Nursing is bent on proving that it can be done — and that its first and only championship in 2008 was no fluke.
Nursing team captain Mark Abad said the team will treat the competition as a breather from the demands of academics.
“Last year’s performance was way beyond what we expected then; we’ll just pick it up from there. We just expect to have fun and make this edition a memorable one,” Abad said.
Faculty of Pharmacy
Three decades without a championship hasn’t dimmed the Faculty of Pharmacy’s ambition.
And with reinforcements joining its roster, the team is eager to demonstrate it can compete with the brightest minds in UST — all while balancing the rigors of studying an allied field of health and medicine, said team captain Ernest Quemquem.
“We expect this year’s Pautakan to be as challenging as ever. We hope to make our faculty proud and show what the Faculty of Pharmacy students can do,” Quemquem said. “As we say in our motto, no way but up. We hope to do better than last year and win this competition.”
Institute of Physical Education and Athletics
For the Institute of Physical Education (IPEA), success will come from synergy and fresh energy. Student-athlete and team captain John Dedoroy also plans to employ new tactics in their quiz bee preps.
“It is my plan to bring new energy to the team and contribute and enhance the team’s teamwork. I also plan to impart new approaches that will fit the team’s synergy,” Dedoroy said.
“Our team expects the competition to be challenging and memorable. Win or lose, the competition will be a learning experience for all of us,” he added.
College of Rehabilitation Sciences
The College of Rehabilitation Sciences is eyeing to make a grand return to the Pautakan stage with the hopes of ending its 25-year title drought.
Doing this will require consistency and quick thinking, said team captain Philyp Parangalan.
“We plan to make a mark by showing strong teamwork, quick thinking, and solid preparation to represent CRS well,” Parangalan said. “We expect a tough but exciting competition. Our goal is to perform well, learn from the experience, and make our college proud.”
College of Science
Determination and mental resilience are central to the College of Science’s campaign.
To develop these, team captain Neo de la Cruz aims to establish a harmonious working dynamic among team members.
“We as a team are preparing ourselves not only academically by reviewing but also mentally to build up the fortitude,” De la Cruz said. “We plan to do much better than last year. Call it wishful thinking, but earning a podium spot doesn’t hurt at all.”
College of Tourism and Hospitality Management
The College of Tourism and Hospitality Management (CTHM) is aiming to turn individual strengths into collective success, as it vies for its first Pautakan title.
Team captain Margaux Espiritu said the CTHM is determined to defy expectations by maximizing each member’s unique capabilities.
“We’ll look into each other’s strengths and weaknesses in different areas so that we can help each other. We believe that by combining our individual talents and working together, we can achieve something greater than the sum of our parts,” she said.
