Makiling-themed mystery race introduces Mariang Makiling to international students

UPLB international students tested their mystery-solving skills in the Tipanan MysteRACE, conducted by the International Student Relations (ISR) at the Makiling Ballroom Hall, Student Union Building (SU), on March 28, 2025. 

MysteRACE is part of the regular activities for Tipanan: Improving Well-being and Finding Solace in Friendship Beyond Academics which are organized to give international students a break from their academic studies through different activities that encourage interaction with their fellow international students. 

Set in the context of Mariang Makiling’s mysteries, the game’s narrative revolves around Mariang Makiling and her rule of forbidding travelers from taking anything inside the forests. Aling Bebang, a character portrayed by Vanessa Ebron-San Juan, ISR Project Development Associate, artfully narrated the story.

The main objective of the game is to accomplish a set of tasks to return a fruit that was taken from Makiling’s forest in the shortest possible time. 

The students were divided into two teams, Team Red and Team Green. Each team received kits necessary to accomplish the challenges and was accompanied by a guide or “bantay” who served as timekeeper and translator. 

The race included five challenges, each corresponding to new clues needed to unlock the next challenge. At the end of all the challenges, the players had to use the clues to unlock a bag carrying the fruit that was taken and return it to Mariang Makiling. 

These challenges were scattered across different areas of the SU Building and included mini-games such as Four in a Row, Hole Tarp, Cheese Ring Relay, Scavenger Hunt, and Twisted Memory Game. 

Team Green emerged as the winner, finishing the game in 1 hour and 25 minutes. They triumphed over Team Red’s 1 hour and 27 minutes despite Team Red having a three-minute lead after the first challenge. 

Serving as facilitators, taskmasters, and guides, were volunteers from the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs (OVCSA), members of the Society of Exchange Students – UP (SExS-UP), and student assistants from ISR and the Learning Resource Center (LRC).