Four delegates from the USC Department of Pharmacy triumphed over 28 other schools from all over the country in this year’s National Pharmacy Quiz Bee (NPQB) held in the Animo Center of the De La Salle Medical and Health Sciences Institute (DLSMHSI) in Cavite on March 15, 2025.
In a battle of wits and knowledge, Vince Aeron Gil Reteza, Jaye Samantha Abrigonda, Daeniel Pitogo, and team leader Kylle Christian Dalman brought home the title of champion—their second in three years—in this prestigious competition.
Together with their coaches, Judah Israel Lescano, Catherine Ortega, and Stan Matthew Taylaran, and the support of the Pharmacy faculty, the group reaped the rewards of their efforts after weeks of after-school drills that defined their team dynamics and refreshed their knowledge on fundamental and high-yield lessons in the science and practice of pharmacy.
In a three-round contest featuring 45 questions of varying difficulty about topics broadly cast across the four years of the B.S. Pharmacy undergraduate program, a close match ensued between the nation’s top schools as they went head-to-head in a series of test questions formulated by the faculty of DLSMHSI, the reigning champion and current host school.
Ultimately, USC came out on top with a final score of 235 points, followed by Lyceum of the Philippines University-Batangas and University of Santo Tomas-Manila.
“It was nerve-wracking, but exhilarating. To think that we’re representing our friends, family, coaches… everyone. I am just so grateful, and even more so because we are champions,” Pitogo shared.
To the team, their victory is one that they share with their loved ones and the entire USC Department of Pharmacy, which supported them every step of the way. In conjunction, DLSMHSI also hosted the 2025 National Patient Counseling Event on March 14, 2025 in which student-pharmacists Danica Resha Dueñas and Vanz Rainer Asentista competed.
With this year being USC’s second win following their 2023 triumph, the school’s Junior Philippine Pharmacists Association-Pi (JPPhA) chapter is once again slated to host the 2026 national quiz bowl. The 2025 NPQB served as an avenue for Filipino student-pharmacists to gather, engage, and celebrate their journeys as future healthcare professionals.
The University of San Carlos’ achievement in this year’s competition is a testament to the team’s unwavering dedication to and pursuit of academic excellence. This win not only secures the university’s reputation as a top pharmacy school in the Philippines, but also serves as a benchmark for future batches of student-pharmacists.
With reporting from the USC Department of Pharmacy