SWU Phinma wins Gullas quiz bee

CEBU, Philippines — The Southwestern University-Phinma emerged as champion in the first Jose Gullas Inter-School Quiz Bowl virtual competition, beating 60 other private and public schools.

The battle began with different schools placed into groups for the elimination round with 21 of them proceeding to the final round.

SWU-Phinma team was composed of Rayne Gilbert Templado, Francis Jude Bravo, and Ritchiele Monares. The team outsmarted San Remigio National High School’s (Team A) Christian Karl Tapayan Amores, Dunn Dexter Bergosa Lahaylahay, and Gerreck Matt Caesar Pinote Sayud for the top spot.

Bravo, in an interview, said it was a sweet victory as they only reviewed individually and had difficulty in communicating their answers during the quiz itself due to the virtual setup.

 “During the quiz bowl proper, we just stayed calm but still mindful of the time and collaborated to reach the correct answer,” Bravo said.

Bravo’s teammate, Monares, for her part, felt overwhelmed as she did not expect winning due to the number of participating schools represented by their best students.

“I feel overwhelmed since I wasn't really expecting we'd win, especially with the fact that there were students from competing schools whose brilliance also exude,” said Monares.

It was also Monares’ first time to join a virtual quiz competition, and shared that she has learned that in competitions, even in an online learning environment, integrity must be upheld at all times.

Madridejos National High School represented by Arabella Catalba, Judy Charisse Jurado and

Clarizze Ann Marie Garcia came out third, while San Remigio National High School’s Team B composed of Catherine Jumao-as Cataluña, Hannah Perino Coming and Mark Gel Coraza Magdadaro landed fourth.

Along with medals and certificates, the champion and first runners-up received P3,000 and P2,000 in cash, respectively, while the third and fourth placers got P1,000 each.

Felix Diano Jr., dean of the College of Education, said the competition was organized by the College of Education in collaboration with the Basic Education Department of UV-Pardo Campus to “commemorate the significant and relevant contributions of Dr. Jose "Dodong" Gullas to the Philippine education and his significant undertakings to academic development including arts, culture, and humanities”. — KQD (FREEMAN)