TUGUEGARAO CITY, Cagayan (PIA) - - A team from Tuguegarao City Science High School (TCSHS) placed third in the MakeX challenge category of the Robotics World Championship Competition held in Yantai, China from December 8 to 11, 2023.

The official result was released on January 15.

The team is composed of Ezekiel Delos Santos, Aaron Malabad, and Tyrone Gabrielle Pangilinan, all Grade 12 students of the said school.

More than 30 countries and over 3,000 participants around the globe participated in the international robotics competition to promote multidisciplinary learning within the fields of science and technology.

Aside from winning third place in robotics, the team was able to bring home the Best Cultural Award.

“My experience in China humbles me, and it shows that I still have lots of room for improvement in critical thinking, creativity, and other aspects,” Delos Santos said.

Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Regional Director Virginia Bilgera said TCSHS is one of the beneficiaries of the Smart and Sustainable Communities Program project of their department’s ACCELERATES or “Advancing Classroom-Based Collaboration and Enhancing Laboratory Equipment through the Provision of Robotics and Technological Equipment to Science-Oriented Students”.

Project ACCELERATES is an innovative program that equips TCSHS laboratories with robotic kits and other equipment required to address various learning abilities in science and enhance their students’ academic performance. 

“This groundbreaking initiative of the agency, in partnership with the local government unit of Tuguegarao City, aims to upgrade laboratories through robotic kits and other equipment to empower science-oriented students by enhancing classroom-based collaboration and laboratory experiences through advanced technology,” Bilgera said.

On the other hand, based on the official result, the teams from Luis Palad Integrated High School in Tayabas, Quezon; Biñan City Science and Technology High School; Tabuk City National High School in Tabuk City, Kalinga; and Philippine Science High School, Bicol Region Campus, also won third prize in their respective categories. (OTB/MDCT/PIA Cagayan)