15th Philippine Statistics Quiz

What is the story behind the PSQ?

The PSQ was launched in 1992 by the National Statistics Office (NSO), the primary statistical arm of the government, and the Philippine Statistical Association (PSA), a non-stock, non-profit organization of professional statisticians from government and non-government agencies and the academe. The quiz is the brainchild of then NSO Administrator Tomas P. Africa. The NSO and the PSA sought the cooperation of the Department of Education, Culture and Sports (DECS), the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) and the Statistical Research and Training Center (SRTC) in the first PSQ. Due to budgetary constraints, the competition was then limited to participants in the National Capital Region. Fourteen (14) students competed in the PSQ Finals held on September 25, 1992 at the Philippine Social Science Center in Diliman, Quezon City. The PSQ was among the highlights of the 40th anniversary celebration of the PSA.

With the entry of more sponsors and donors in 1993, the PSQ went national. Eliminations were held in the regions to determine the representatives to the National Finals held in Metro Manila. Representations in the National Finals were based on the number of colleges and universities in the respective regional areas. In 1994, the Commission on Higher Education began endorsing the PSQ. Beginning 1995, only one champion from each of the fifteen regions in the country gets to compete. In 2000, Caraga, being the 16th region of the country, has been added to the roster of PSQ national finalists. Later on, the creation of MIMAROPA paved the way for its regional champion to become part of the 2003 National Finals. The PSQ slowly gained participation from over 200 schools and universities nationwide in the recent years.

Amidst the Asian economic crisis, the conduct of the 1998 PSQ National Finals in Manila pushed through with the help of over a dozen Internet Service Providers (ISPs). The NSO developed a special software for the conduct of the PSQ via the Internet, which is believed to be the first online quiz in the country. Questions were launched via the information superhighway at the NSO Central Office in Sta. Mesa while the finalists logged their answers in pre-determined sites in the regions under the supervision of a Technical Committee Representative in coordination with the NSO Regional Offices. Foreign delegates and local participants to the Seventh National Convention on Statistics were also able to monitor the remote coverage of the PSQ online, as a viewing site was also set up at the Shangri-la EDSA Plaza.

PSQ continued to infuse information and communications technology (ICT) in the conduct of the National Finals. ICT has specifically enhanced the administration of contest questions, recording of answers, and the scoring system over the years. The quiz landed on TV for the first time, when the 9th PSQ was aired on a delayed telecast at the Peoples Television Network (PTV 4) in February 2001. On its tenth year, it was again aired on afternoon primetime in partnership with the National Broadcasting Network (NBN-4).

To this day, PSQ remains as one of the most exciting and challenging venues for the nations brilliant young minds.