Crowne Plaza Galleria Manila - Another treat for UP Diliman’s Computer Science department as six CS juniors bagged the bronze in Trend Micro Tech Challenge 2005 last Nov. 24, 2005. With Mr. TJ Vergel de Dios as coach, the Team Savers as they call their team was composed of Eduardo Jose Ajero, Jasper Neil Castillo, Jesse Ann Dytioco, Michelle Ongkingco, Tristan Jed Roque and John Kristofferson Sanchez along with the team’s motto: “We are right here, right now ready to save your PC against security threats.
From over 80 teams that registered to take challenge from Trend Micro, the makers of PC-Cillin, the ten best teams across the country were then selected to compete in the four-day event that started Nov. 22. Seven teams from NCR including three UP teams (Team Vulcan and Team UPBibbo), one from Visayas and two from Mindanao were to create a solution within 48 hours to detect, clean and prevent re-infection from an unknown, fast-spreading computer worm that swarms computer networks. Within that period of time (from 10 am of Tuesday until 10 am of Thursday), documentation and presentation materials should also be completed. Teams are neither allowed to use their mobile phones and other removable storages nor communicate with other teams and coaches. The phones in the finalists’ hotel rooms were disconnected from external calls and from internet as well. They also presented their software in a closed-door encounter with the company’s big men.
"It was hard at first, there is no communication from the outside world even the other UP teams, we are not allowed to interact with them. No cell phones, no internet although the consolation were the great food and hotel amenities. One of our team members even had a fever last Wednesday early morning. But the team spirit is very alive and really became very evident. We always crack jokes, sing some songs while coding and chat with each other just to keep each other awake for the longest time possible, while the other teams were quiet and busy. ", team Savers recalled. They also added that it was difficult being the underdog team, because they are just taking essential courses about networking and database this semester so they did advance studies aside from the fact that they are the youngest team in the competition. However, it was their teamwork that became their deadly weapon.
Before the grand announcement, the finalists visited the TrendLabs Manila at the IBM Plaza, Eastwood City were a solution outbreak demonstration was presented along with a company orientation. Later that afternoon, along with the CS department chair Dr. Cedric Festin and the coaches, parents, media and the Trend Micro Philippines employees, IITians of Mindanao State University - Iligan Institute of Technology won the grand prize of 1 million pesos, while De La Salle University’s Code Green settled behind with P500,000 in hand. Team Savers followed with P250,000.
Aside from the schools mentioned, Rizal Technological University’s IcarOs, Xavier University - Ateneo de Cagayan’s Xcel, Mapua Institute of Technology’s Phoenix and University of San Jose Recoletos’ Checkmate completed the finalists where all of them will be given a priority in application process if they intended to be part of the company.
TMTC 2005 also gave away three special awards; the Best Teamwork and Best Presentation were both given to Team Savers and AMA CUPS from AMA Computer University QC Campus received the Early Bird Award.
It was a CS department back to back victory as another CS team dominated the La Salle Computer Society’s Clash of the Brains 2005 last Nov. 23.