A team of civil engineering students from Davao City brought pride to the Philippines after emerging as champions in the Seismic Performance of Building Model competition of the Asian Institute of Technology held in Thailand.

The competition gathered civil engineering students from universities, aiming to showcase their skills in designing and constructing earthquake-resistant building models.

During the competition, the team from the Philippine Institute of Civil Engineers (PICE) Davao Chapter bested 17 other entries from nine countries using a crafted structure made of balsa wood, a sturdy wood material commonly used for building a banca.

Their model successfully withstood an earthquake simulation test of up to magnitude 8.2, proving its structural integrity and resilience.

Despite being first-time participants, the Philippine team clinched the top prize and attributed their win to relentless research for the project.

“Ang amoang gigamit nga analysis sa amoang model is more advanced than sa uban nga mga students,” PICE Davao City Structural Coach, Engr. Warren Keith Nietes, said.

According to the team, the project took a year of planning and preparation. They first designed the structure using specialized software before constructing the actual physical model.

Although the winning model is only a prototype, the team believes it can serve as a foundation for future research by structural and civil engineers in actual projects.

“Atong (tan-awon) kung unsa ang ilahang matabang lalo na karon nga naa ta’y umaabot nga mga kalamidad, mapreparahan siya through sa ilahang studies,” PICE Davao City Chapter President, Flordeluna Juyo, said.

PICE Davao shared words of encouragement for students and future engineers.

“Dili lang mag-aim sila nga pasaron ang ilang mga subjects, kundi ilang pangandaman ang ilang future,” PICE Davao City Student Affair Coordinator, Dan Loigi Pardillo, said.

“Kailangan lang gyud ninyo mangita og opportunity, dili siya pwede hulaton kailangan gyud ninyo siya ambakan para maging inyoha,” Nietes added.

PICE Davao is also eyeing to participate in other international competition in the United States.