THE FACULTY of Arts and Letters (AB) secured a podium finish in the individual category but struggled in the team division of the 45th installation of Pautakan, the country’s longest-running intercollegiate quiz competition.
Represented by Legal Management senior John Travis De Luna, AB tallied a total of 85 points in the final round to clinch second runner-up honors on Monday, April 28, at the Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati Auditorium.
De Luna earned 15 points in the easy round, 40 points in the average round and 30 points in the difficult round.
Paul Samson Topacio of the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery emerged as the champion with 115 points, while College of Nursing delegate Joachim Benedict Del Rosario finished as first runner-up with 90 points.
By advancing to the finals with 65 points in the elimination round and ranking fourth among the top five qualifiers, AB improved from last year’s 11th spot.
In the final round, De Luna answered four out of six questions correctly in the general information and current events segment. He also provided correct answers to two questions in science and technology and UST history categories but was unable to score in the mathematics portion.
“I am very happy with the fact that we achieved a podium finish in the individual category because Travis worked so hard for it,” Artlets team coach Erinn Marielle Perez, also a Legal Management instructor, told The Flame.
Team category
The seven-member Artlets team missed the chance to enter the finals round after ranking sixth place with 105 points.
Perez said her team’s current standing in the group category is an improvement from the team’s previous performance, where they settled ninth.
“Our trajectory, we see it as going up; we’re not going down, and hopefully next year, we will do a lot better,” she added.
The Faculty of Engineering defended its Pautakan title in the team category against 15 contending groups.
The Ruaño-based faculty was hailed as champions with 109 points, followed by the College of Nursing and Faculty of Medicine and Surgery with 108 points and 95 points, respectively.
Despite the podium finish in the individual category after seven years, AB’s title drought in the team category has extended to 16 years, with its last championship dating back to 2009.
Organized by UST official student publication The Varsitarian, this year’s Pautakan drew the highest number of participating teams since its launch in 1977. F
