Robotics Cup held in Lapu-Lapu City

CEBU, Philippines - To enhance the creativity and problem-solving skills of the students, the first Lapu-Lapu City Robotics Cup was launched last Wednesday at the Hoops Dome.

Donald Dungog, Information Technology Officer of the Department of Education and the president of the Cebu Robotics Society, said public schools and two private schools, Marie Ernestine School and Caridad C. Labe Center of Excellence (CCL CentrEx), participated in the Robotics Cup.

There were four categories in the competition: Elementary, Junior High School, Senior High School, and Teachers. Each team was composed of three participants.

"Since this is the first time, they (participants) can bring their own robot... on the spot ang programming," Dungog said.

In each category, the teams needed to program their robots to carry out certain tasks. The team whose robot finished the fastest was declared winner.

There were 26 teams in the Elementary Category, 18 in Junior High, 8 in Senior High, and 8 in the Teachers Category.

Winners for each category are: CCL CentrEx for elementary category, Pajo National High School for the junior high category and the teachers category, and STEC for the senior high category.

Dungog said the tasks of the robots were focused on taking out waste, which is in line with the contest's theme "Trash Trek."

The Lapu-Lapu City government has been joining the national robotics competitions since 2008, said Dungog.

 "Our Science and Technology Education Center (STEC), atong gi-represent to join the national level and have won for 5 consecutive years being the national champion," said Dungog.

The city government, in partnership with DepEd, has launched the Robo4Ed program, which includes training for teachers on robotics every summer.

Dungog said that after the summer training, teachers who win the culminating activity would receive a robot. Last summer, 10 robots were given to teachers in Lapu-Lapu City.

One of the winners during the summer training, Mary Christine Rebamonte, participated in the Robotics Cup this year and her team won the Teachers Category.

Rebamonte, a Filipino teacher of Pajo National High School, said that she joined the competition so that she and her team could enjoy the game and so that she can share what they learned to their students.

Rebamonte and her team used the robot that they won last summer in the Robotics Cup. (FREEMAN)