University News

CCIS students excel in sports, technology, and arts competitions

Paula Moralejo, Precious Shien Oppus, News, PUP Campus Journalists

Highlighting the excellence of several PUPians, students from the College of Computer and Information Sciences (CCIS) of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) clinched the top spots in various competitions, such as the Information Technology Skills Olympics, Shell National Students Art Competition, and SCUAA-NCR Games.

The IT Skills Olympics, held on November 15 at the University of Makati, featured victories in the Python programming category. Along with this, the 57th Shell National Students Art Competition took place on November 29 at the Ayala Museum, where PUP students won awards in photography and digital fine arts. Meanwhile, three students from CCIS secured 11 medals at the SCUAA-NCR Games, held on November 27 to 28 at the PUP Main Campus Swimming Pool.

Code to triumph
Mark Achiles Flores Jr. and Roan Manansala, third-year BS Computer Science students, were hailed as the champions under the Python programming category in the IT Skills Olympics. The two students overcame a series of timed algorithmic challenges that gauged their coding proficiency and problem-solving abilities in the said competition.

“This definitely wasn’t an overnight success, I had to recall almost everything I learned for the past [six] years for this competition,” Flores said. Flores and Manansala will each receive a gold medal, a certificate of recognition, and a cash prize for their feat.

With this success, they also shared some advice on competitive programming.

“I highly suggest trying out Codewars. Website siya na pwede ka magsolve ng iba’t ibang programming challenges using different programming languages like Python, C, Java, etc. May ongoing rin na Advent of Code ngayon which is 25 days of programming challenges with increasing difficulty. Super saya niya and you’ll learn a lot rin in the process,” Flores suggested for aspiring programmers.

(“I highly suggest trying out Codewars. It is a website where you can solve various programming challenges using different programming languages like Python, C, Java, etc. There is also an ongoing Advent of Code currently, which is 25 days of programming challenges with increasing difficulty. It is super fun, and you’ll learn a lot in the process, too.”)

The IT Skills Olympics was hosted by the University of Makati College of Computing and Information Sciences on its 13th iteration with the theme “Augmenting Security Towards Techno-Utopia.” The event comprises 11 competitions, including web page design, e-sports, and cybersecurity categories. More than 60 schools participated in the event, including the FEU Institute of Technology, the University of the East, and Urdaneta City University.

When technology meets art
Meanwhile, two second-year BS Computer Science students secured awards in the individual competitions of the 57th Shell National Students Art Competition. Wenzel Andrei Bolo bagged the first prize in the photography category while Christine Calapati placed fourth in the digital fine arts category.

Bolo dominated the photography category after achieving first place with their entry titled “Tungo sa Bagong Bukas,” showcasing the essence of rich Filipino culture and the hope of progress for future generations. The awarded photographer also shared their practice in doing street photography in their speech during the awarding ceremony. For them, it is a process of being patient and waiting for the subject at the right time.

“I believe doon sa saying na lahat ay artists. Lahat ng kabataan, artists sila. Whatever the medium, may it be drawing, painting, or visual art, even science, math, philosophy, poetry. Any of that [these] can be a medium to create their own obras,” Bolo added.

(“I believe in the saying that everyone is an artist. All the youth are artists. Whatever the medium, may it be drawing, painting, or visual arts, even science, math, philosophy, poetry. Any of that [these] can be a medium to create their own obras.”)

Bolo is set to receive Php 60,000 cash, a limited-edition Shell NSAC shirt and jacket, a gold medal, and a plaque as the top 1 in the category. Calapati, on the other hand, will bring home Php 2,000 cash, a limited-edition Shell NSAC shirt, and a Certificate of Participation as part of the top 4-20 entries. Both will also be granted a 1-year free Artists Circle membership by the Ayala Museum as per Shell Philippines. PUP will also get a special grant of PHP 20,000 under the Faculty Development Program upon the first-prize achievement of Bolo.

The Shell National Students Art Competition is one of the country’s longest-running art competitions. With the theme “Lika na, Likha pa ng Obra,” the 57th year of the competition congregated young Filipino artists under five different artistic areas, including oil/acrylic, watercolor, sculpture, digital fine arts, and photography categories.

Dive into victory
Sweeping eleven medals in total, three PUP students from BS Information Technology made a splash as they dominated the swimming events at the 34th State Colleges and Universities Athletic Association (SCUAA) - NCR Games held on November 27-28 at the PUP Main Campus Swimming Pool.

With the theme “Iskolar at Atletang NCR: Kaagapay Tungo sa Bagong Pilipinas”, Patrick Gabrielle Garcia (1st Year), Piero Gabriel Macaro (1st Year), and John Philip Castillo (4th Year) brought home the victory for PUP Swimming Team.

Garcia, who won a silver medal in the 4 x 50m medley relay, shared their pride as the team emerged as the overall champion in the swimming category.

“Nakakaproud po kasi kami yung overall champion sa swimming, and sobrang proud po ako sa mga teammates ko kasi hindi ko inexpect na ma[r]ami silang hahakutin na medals. And proud din ako sa sarili ko kasi despite the difficulty of our training, I still managed to train daily and wake up early every morning,” said Garcia.

(“I feel proud because we were the overall champion in swimming, and I feel so proud for my teammates because I didn’t expect that they would be able to get many medals. And I am also proud of myself as well because despite the difficulty of our training, I still managed to train daily and wake up early every morning.”)

Macaro, who clinched three gold medals in the 100m backstroke, 400m freestyle, and 4 x 200m freestyle relay, along with two silver medals in the 4 x 100m medley relay and 4 x 100m freestyle relay, shared insights into the toughest part of the competition.

“For me, as a first-year participant in the SCUAA league, the hardest part was assessing my opponents. I just focused on myself since I didn’t know many of my competitors,” Macaro explained.

The first-year IT champions also offered advice to future athletes aiming for success in their chosen sports.

“Kailangan dedicated ka sa sport mo, be mentally prepared, listen to your coach’s advice, get enough sleep so your body can rest and recover, stay hydrated to perform well and recover faster, and learn from your mistakes,” Garcia shared.

(“You need to be dedicated to your sport, be mentally prepared, listen to you coach’s advice, get enough sleep so your body can rest and recover, stay hydrated to perform well and recover faster, and learn from your mistakes.”)

Meanwhile, 4th-year IT student John Philip Castillo also impressed with their performance, securing two gold medals in the 50m backstroke and 4 x 200m freestyle relay, two silver medals in the 4 x 100m medley relay and 4 x 100m freestyle relay, and a bronze medal in the 100m backstroke. The PUP Swimming team remained the overall champions after garnering 41 golds, 27 silvers, and 19 bronze medals.