TUPV wins top places in ICpEP Programming Competition 2022

ELMER JOSHUA SILVA

Technological University of the Philippines Visayas (TUPV) student programmers proved their competence in problemsolving and programming prowess after bagging places in the Institute of Computer Engineers of the Philippines (ICpEP) - Region 6 Programming Competition 2022 held at Carlos Hilado Memorial State University – Alijis, Dec. 3. Against other schools and universities in Negros Occidental, Adriane Justine Tan, one of the four second-year computer engineering students who represented TUPV, aced the C programming language category and will compete in the national level with other schools and universities in Laoag City, Ilocos Norte this January.

"Learning other programming languages, such as C, is not that too hard for me,” Tan shared in an exclusive interview with The Philippine Artisan Visayas. Tan shared that as a former full stack web developer, he did not find it a challenge to learn other programming languages since he also studied different algorithms to solve certain programming problems and memorized them.

“I wasn't confident about winning first place, so I was surprised when I saw the competition results. I dedicate this to those people who believed [in] and supported me,” Tan added.

Meanwhile, Angel Lee Sotes and Lanz Joseph Villanueva, notched up second and third places, respectively, in Python and Java programming language categories, while Alquinn John Undar represented TUPV in the C++ category, under the supervision of their coach, Engr. Brian Lumauag.

With the theme, "Enhancing Skills and Knowledge through Engineering Innovation and Technology for a Better Tomorrow," the ICpEP – Region 6 CpE Challenge is a proving ground for some of the brightest forthcoming minds who are in the best position to solve the world's problems.

The pandemic caused us to lose our way in life. We have been unknowingly plunged in an eternal abyss with no idea when it will end. It has been a test of our character and strength, where some people didn’t give up, some lost hope, some lives were unheedingly taken, and some became stronger. The strongest arrived and united together, no matter what test was posed to them.

As a Campus Director of the Technological University of the PhilippinesVisayas, Dr. Eric A. Malo-oy bears the burden of countering the symptoms of the pandemic with confidence. Obstacles and difficulties that he might come across are nothing new to him as he has dealt with commitment and compassion towards the students.

Whereas the pandemic brought schools into closure for months, and uncertainty of when this will end remains existing. In order to prepare for the opening of classes after the pandemic, the Campus Director has been equipped with awareness of the university’s strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities. He works with teachers to find out what works well in the classroom and identify areas where they want to further improve.

He said in an interview that “the pandemic has challenged us in an unprecedented manner.” Everything was not spared from this global health crisis, not even a country. Everything where life matters has been affected from our way of living, the people that we see prior to pandemic, until it digs deeper into our nation, and these adverse impacts are becoming evident in our educational sectors.

As she sternly directs the student activities, Dr. Lainie Mae Bala-an can’t help but to regard the opening of classes as a challenging one. Being the Chief Administrative Officer of the Technological University of the Philippines Visayas (TUPV), her voice reaches not only the students but also covers the welfare of the whole campus.

“It’s very challenging. The fact that we didn’t have classes for 2 years, it is actually a shift from the new normal going back to the normal things that we are actually doing before,” she expressed.

TUPV, like other Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), suffered the devastating effects of the pandemic. The published study of Lim et al. (2022) issued that the transition of education from the traditional setting to online and vice versa caused detrimental psychological and mental repercussions to students. To Dr. Bala-an, the same problem reflects the situation of the university, and taking from her perspective as part of the university management, the “challenging” part exists because of the problems that the campus was facing. She pointed out that preparations for the opening of classes met lots of evaluations from different facilities of the university, especially the comfort rooms.

The accommodation of every student seemed to be a problem as classrooms were limited. “Knowing that we are a state university, it is also very challenging; budget-wise, we are bent on working using the budget the government allocated for us. It must be expected it wouldn’t be that big,” she professed, affirming that she doesn’t fear the fact that the circumstances were challenging but because our survival measures our resiliency.

“That’s the only option left for us. You have to be resilient,” she added. The current situation of the campus is fazed with the deficient budget to maintain and repair establishments that would serve and give comfort to the academic needs of students.

With the long-awaited opening of face-to-face classes, he expressed his thoughts clearly as to reveal such yearning and satisfaction for a new academic year. He stated, “It was a long and dragging two years without the students inside the campus. Not knowing how everyone is faring made it more difficult for us. That is why, seeing all of you, face-to-face for the first time since 2020 has been emotional for all of us”.

Dr. Malo-oy holds the overall responsibility over administration matters that concern the university; in line with this, he pushed to give only the best of his service. He is aware of what makes a good leader and contributes to the extent in pursuit of development. He is delighted to witness the eagerness on the faces of everyone, alongside the excitement of facing what’s beyond the new normal.

“Moving forward, we are doubly challenged to make up for the lost time to equip you with reallife lessons and prepare you for the world outside the campus after your graduation,” he continued. His thoughts highlight the importance of TUPV’s values and the lessons that the academe can teach to the students; thus, bringing the entire TUPVian into the peak of their life goals.

With vim and vigor, he voiced out, “My dear TUPVians, we may bear the scars (physically, mentally, emotionally, etc) brought about by the pandemic, but we are made of sturdier stuff, our strength and resilience as a community will motivate us to continue with our purpose. Padayon!”

The Lady Beyond The Crystal Door: A Post-pandemic Preamble

“The government doesn’t owe us actually being Filipino citizens. The government doesn’t owe us because we are enrolled in a state university,” her words resounded in as she was asked about her message for the students.

Wherefore, the resolve in her voice was admirable comparable to a modern-day “Gabriela Silang.” She articulated that every student should always bear in mind that it is everyone’s responsibility to comply and obey the campus’ rules and regulations; giving a glimpse of what should be a core value to every student—the undeterred determination to strive and surpass boundaries.

“Don’t ever think that you are an ‘Iskolar ng

Bayan’ [Scholar of the Society] but it’s more of ‘Iskolar Para sa Bayan’ [Scholar for the Society]; in one way you will contribute to even the small little goals and objectives that the university have,” Dr. Bala-an stressed as she spoke with full of inspiration and conviction.

The CAO’s onus was placed directly on the students to be good and by surpassing individual limits—be outstanding; placing a podium to the essential objective of every learner which is to graduate. Her words moved mountains, even hearts and spirits. Dr. Bala-an is a fortress of burning passion and renewed strength—values that we should pick upon ourselves to fight and inspire others.