by Stacey Nicole Marie G. Monta
Davao del Norte State College – Institute of Computing was declared the Overall Champion in the Philippine Society of Information Technology Students Region XI (PSITS-XI) Festival of Talents, which was held last April 1, 2023, at the DNSC Gymnasium. The theme was, “Connecting IT Students across Davao Region”.
The DNSC-IC surpassed 27 participating higher education institutions that offer technology-related programs in the region, garnering a total of 887 points from various events. The University of Southeastern Philippines-Obrero Campus and the University of Immaculate Conception took second and third place, respectively, with 641 and 614 points. This marks the College’s third championship victory, having also won the 2019 and 2021 PSITS-XI competitions.
DNSC competed in the Sports Competition, eSports, Board and Mind Games, Dance, and Musical Events, as well as the Mr. and Ms. PSITS 2023 pageant. The DNSC-IC athletes dominated the sports competition, winning the Basketball Men, Volleyball Men and Women, and Badminton Solo Men and Women events, while taking home a silver prize in Badminton doubles and a bronze medal in Basketball Women. For eSports, the Mobile Legends Bang Bang team continued their three-year winning streak, earning the gold medal for the third time, while DOTA 2 and Call of Duty Mobile were declared silver medalists and Valorant seized the 5th place. DNSC also topped the nerve-wracking Board and Mind Games, with a gold medal in chess, second place in Rubik’s Cube, Dart Men, and Word Factory, and third and fifth places in Dart Women and Scrabble, respectively. In Dance and Musical events, the Cheer Dancers came in second place, while Modern Dance won the bronze medal, and Vocal Solo and Likhawit participants won fourth place. Vocal Duet was proclaimed fifth.
DNSC’s Marlou Pescos, a Bachelor of Science and Information Technology student, and Justine Paula Arriesgado, a Bachelor of Science in Information Systems student, were crowned Mr. and Ms. PSITS 2023.
“We always prepare for this event since we have been the champion for the last 2 years. A 3-peat overall championship in PSITS XI is an amazing achievement not only for the Institute of Computing but for the entire DNSC community…there is no standard formula for success. What is needed is the PASSION of the participants and institution, a PURPOSE to win, and the PEOPLE,” said Dr. Mark Van Buladaco, the Dean of the Institute of Computing.
The PSITS-XI provided a platform for showcasing the skills, wit, and talents of IT students from different colleges and universities. The competition ran from February 24 to April 1 and took place every Saturday and Sunday across various HEIs in the region, including Mapua Malayan College of Mindanao, Philippine Nikkei Jin Kai, Mindanao Kokusai Daigaku, the University of Southeastern Philippines Obrero Campus, and Davao del Norte State College.