MANILA — Three students have emerged winners in the recently concluded 8th ASEAN Quiz National Level Competition in Quezon City.
Jericho Villarico, Wynkqui Anne Cruz, and Kim Eric Delicano bested other high school students from various schools in the country during the academic competition.
Villarico was declared champion, while Cruz was first runner-up, and Delicano, second runner-up.
Villarico, of Baguio City National High School, and Delicano, of Davao del Sur School of Fisheries, are both Grade 10 students. Cruz is a Grade 9 student from Rizal High School.
They will represent the country in the 8th ASEAN Quiz bee to be held in Bali, Indonesia in the last quarter of the year.
Honor and responsibility
“I feel more pressured because we have to carry the flag of the Philippines in the regional competition in Indonesia, because the Philippines has been consistently winning,” Villarico said in an interview with Philippine News Agency (PNA) on Friday.
As for Cruz and Delicano, the entire competition was an overwhelming experience.
Cruz said competing and winning made her achieve the best version of herself while Delicano said he is very proud of himself for being a runner-up.
The three students said they were only given a short time to review for the district, division, regional and national levels of the quiz bee. They, however, see it as a big blessing that the topics they need to study are all in the ASEAN website.
Cruz said she crammed for the preparation because she was not originally selected as one of the contestants for the competition.
“I really needed to adjust because it is only two weeks of preparation. The original contestant backed out a few months after review started,” she said.
The three said memorization of details, especially in social studies and general information topics, is important but not a must and that reading with comprehension is the best strategy to recall everything they have studied and reviewed.
Cruz’s coach Alson Fernandez said he gives Cruz time to study on her own before they study together.
“I do that so I can check on how she understands what she studied. So, I can correct her mistakes,” Fernandez said.
Coaches Eva Lagayan and Elsa Sasuman said they did not have a difficult time motivating Villarico and Delicano because they are self-motivated and are very much interested in ASEAN.
The three will continue reviewing individually with their respective coaches in preparation for the competition in Indonesia. However, they will review as a team under one coach, who will be chosen by the People’s Television Network, a week before they leave for Bali for the quiz bee. (PNA)
