MESIN ITS TEAM

MANILA, Philippines – The University of Santo Tomas (UST) is one of the three schools included in the Philippine delegation that will compete in the inaugural Shell Eco-marathon (SEM) Asia in Malaysia this July.

UST Engineering Eco-marathon Team Leader Tim Orille said he is honored that UST is part of the RP Team along with Don Bosco Technical Institute and Mapua Institute of Technology.

“Sobrang privileged,” he told abs-cbnNEWS.com during the SEM press launch. “‘Di lahat may chance, opportunity [to compete].”

The SEM, which will take place from July 8 to 10 at the Sepang International Circuit in Kuala Lumpur, is about distance instead of speed.

It will declare as victor the vehicle that has traveled the farthest distance using the least amount of fuel.

“Maasahang gagawin namin yung pinaka-best,” stated Orille, who assured that his team will “come up with a design competitive enough to win… not just to make UST proud but also the Philippines.”

A total of 107 teams will come from participating schools in Pakistan, Iran, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Taiwan, China, Malaysia, India and the Philippines.

Participants will design, build and drive the most energy-efficient vehicle in order to win the grand prize of $1,500. There are also off-track awards for design, safety, technical innovation and communications and marketing.

Before racing in Malaysia, Team UST will go there already a winner as it bagged the Facebook Fan Competition prize.

The España-based team received P150,000 for being the first group to gather 5,000 fans in their Facebook page.

As of posting, UST had 10,159 fans while Mapua and Don Bosco have yet to reach 5,000-mark.

Mapua, which goes by the name Team Atalanta, has 4,941 fans and Don Bosco, also known as Team Grigio, has 4,127 fans.

The 3 teams, meantime, received P300,000 each from Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corporation (PSPC) as financial assistance.

According to UST Team Manager and Adviser Professor Raymundo Melegrito, building a vehicle is very costly. He estimated their expenses to be at least P200,000.

He also said that the primary challenge was to determine if they could do it since it would be the first time that they would produce their own vehicle. Orille noted that they had to consider the safety of the driver as well as the lightness of materials used.

Despite such challenges, Melegrito is proud to say that his students are committed to the SEM. Orille mentioned that some members committed to the project even if they were already on their 5th year.

“We’re quite confident that we can do it,” said Melegrito, adding that they hope they will win the first SEM Asian edition and “give pride to UST.”

The oldest existing university in Asia will celebrate its 400th anniversary in 2011.

The other Team UST members are Ricardo Camara, Rizfer Cruz, Audric Lao, Richard Lau, Keith See, Edwin John A. Perey, Jarome S. Lopez, Kristoffer T. Lara, Renz Austin Dc. Cruz, Jan Carlo J. Belen and Marion San Pedro. Professors Amante Garcia, Rogelio Almira, Jr. and Stephen Buñi serve as team consultants. – Report by Ma. Rosanna Mina, abs-cbnNEWS.com