EVSU’s student competitors put on an exceptional performance during the recently concluded regional Smart Communities Engagement and Networking Exposition (rSCENE) 2025, clinching multiple awards and well-earned recognitions in both the tech-related competitions and esports tournaments.
The rSCENE 2025, held on June 18 at the Tandaya Hall in Catbalogan City, was designed to be a meeting-of-minds, a gathering of innovators and creatives from various state university and colleges (SUCs) and academic institutions across the region.
Leading EVSU’s standout performances was BSIT student, Mr. Florante C. Benitez Jr., who proudly claimed the championship title in the Code in the Dark/Frontend UI competition.
The Code-in-the-Dark competition was a high-stakes frontend development challenge where the participants had to recreate a given user interface (UI) within a set amount of time, using only HTML, CSS, and vanilla Javascript with no live previews, debugging tools, or external libraries.
In a show of pure coding skills and his command of HTML, CSS, and Javascript under pressure, Benitez outperformed the competition and earned a PHP 50,000 cash prize as well as recognition as one of the region’s most promising young developers.
Florante C. Benitez, Jr. was also a part of Team Excelr8. Alongside his fellow BSIT students, Shawn Michale A. Sudaria, John Ivan A. Galang, and Charles Gula which secured 4th place in the Hackathon.
Meanwhile, another EVSU group had an impressive showing of innovation and creativity in the Idea+Reverse Pitching event, clinching the 4th place spot and a PHP20,000 prize.
The Idea+Reverse pitching team, comprised of BSIT students Ramcez James L. Fat, Ricky R. Rulida, Jr., Peter Jade Talabucon, and Kate Andrea C. Hechanova came up with groundbreaking ideas focused on the theme “Climate Resiliency Innovation Projects.”
In the esports arena, the EVSU Eguls Mobile Legends team, composed of Howard Jay M. Alabado (BSCE), Renante S. Espina, Jr. (BSE), Nestor R. Lao, Jr. (BSME), Jill Rock Von Russel D. Masan (BSE), and Dick Gabriel M. Ramos (BSIT) fought through fierce competition, securing a shared 3rd/4th place finish, winning a PHP 20,000 prize.
On a parallel front, the EVSU Ateliers, the university’s Valorant team, also bagged a shared 3rd/4th finish, with a similar PHP 20,000 prize. The newly formed team comprised of Lance Andre T. Ang (BSCE), Ryan Ashwed G. Apurillo (BSAR), Rayshad M. Llosa (BSAR), Lennie Katherine D. Mantilla (BSAR), and Carlo James M. Ong (BSAR).
Their achievements during the 2025 rSCENE are a remarkable display of team spirit, technological prowess, and innovative thinking. Beyond bringing immense pride to the EVSU community, these student competitors have proved the university’s capability of producing highly skilled, technologically competent, industry-ready learners.
This article is aligned with the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 04 Quality Education; SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure; SDG 13: Climate Action
Written by: JS Beleña | UMDC
