Graphics by John Carl Acosta
Nine high schools across Eastern Visayas tested their knowledge of science and mathematics as they competed in the Junior Philippine Institute of Chemical Engineers – Eastern Visayas State University Student Chapter’s (JPICHE-EVSU SC) annual Regional Sci-Math Team Olympiad at the Engineering Building, Wednesday, September 16.
The daylong competition gathered 20 teams for the Science leg and 17 teams for the Mathematics leg from nine schools in Region 8, with each team composed of three students and one coach.
The participating schools were Abuyog National High School (ANHS), Burauen Comprehensive National High School (BCNHS), Holy Trinity College-A.R. of Alangalang, Leyte, Inc. (HTC), Leyte National High School (LNHS), Liceo del Verbo Divino, Inc. (LVD), San Jose National High School (SJNHS), St. Mary’s Academy of Palo, Inc. (SMAP), St. Peter’s College of Ormoc, Inc. (SPCO), and St. Therese Educational Foundation of Tacloban, Inc. (STEFTI).
The Olympiad was divided into two legs, with the Science leg held in the morning and the Mathematics leg in the afternoon.
Each leg consisted of three rounds: easy, average, and difficult, with questions weighted at one, three, and ten points respectively, while teams were barred from using calculators, reference materials, and electronic communication devices throughout the contest.
The Easy Round tested teams with straightforward items across both legs, while the Average Round increased the difficulty as contenders competed for higher scores.
The Difficult Round, which required teams to write complete solutions to problem-solving items, proved decisive in determining the final rankings for both legs.
STEFTI’s Team A emerged as the champion in the Science leg, while LVD’s Team B topped the Mathematics leg.
In an interview, STEFTI Team A member Gabriela Bartolini shared her team’s experience in clinching the Science title, crediting their faith and perseverance for their victory.
“Initially, I was very scared. But I have to admit, I ended up just being faithful and placing our worries [with] God,” Gabriela said.
Morever, LVD Team B Member Johann Jace Saldeña shared his team’s collective insight into their Mathematics leg win, saying the competition was stressful, but it was also very fun and interesting.
“It really all boils down to confidence, and trusting your instincts,” he added, citing it as their deciding factor in the competition.
Meanwhile, Jayson Patrick Cabigayan, JPICHE-EVSU SC’s second-year board member, underscored that the competition aims to enlighten the minds of students at a young age, especially given the competition’s STEM focus, and to instill that the competition marks only the beginning of their journey.
“I want to instill to our participants that this is just the beginning of their journey in pursuing STEM-related programs in college. No matter what the results are, they are all still a winner for making this year’s Regional Science and Math Olympiad 2026. Competing with the region’s finest future scientists and mathematicians, they are already proving that they are brilliant individuals,” he said.
JPICHE-EVSU SC, is the sole junior chemical engineering organization in the Leyte-Samar Islands and an affiliated chapter of the Philippine Institute of Chemical Engineers – Junior Chapter Visayas.
The competition served as one of the featured events of Chemical Engineering Week, anchored on the theme “LEAP: Chemical Engineering in the Era of Digital Transformation,” observed annually during the third week of September under Presidential Proclamation No. 1365.
Article by Jake Sabido