The Society of St. Paul, Philippine-Macau Province, through its apostolic arm, ST PAULS, successfully held the ST PAULS BIBLE QUIZ 2010 last September 17, 2010 at SMX Convention Center, Bay Area, Pasay City. The contest, a joint venture of ST PAULS and Primetrade Asia, Inc., the organizer of the 31st Manila International Book Fair, proved to be a showcase of the Book Fair. ST PAULS conceptualized it as part of the celebration of the 75th anniversary of the Society of St. Paul in the Philippines. The theme of the event was: “The WORD in a world of words without borders.” The contest was national in scope and was open to all youngsters (high school and out of school youth 18 years and below). Elimination rounds were held at St. Paul Seminary, Lalaan, Cavite (July 31), St. Paul Novitiate, Pampanga (August 14), Society of St. Paul, Makati (August 21), Society of St. Paul, Mactan Island, Cebu City (August 7) and Pius XII Pastoral Center, Iloilo City (August 28). Of the 86 participating teams (composed of three members with their adviser), 25 made it to the Semi-Final and Grand Final rounds on September 17. The main event was a whole-day affair. The Semi-Final round was held in the morning. The quiz was ably hosted by celebrity anchors of the radio network DZMM: Jun “Dr. Love” Banaag and Ms. Elsa Reyes. Present to supervise the event was the panel of judges who had prepared the questions—all authorities on the Bible: Fr. Randy Flores, SVD, Sr. Bernardita Dianzon, FSP, Fr. Gil Alinsangan, SSP, Fr. Domie Guzman, SSP, and Bro. Hansel Mapayo, SSP. The Semi-Final round involved the collaboration of the three team members. At the end, ten teams made it to the Final round. This time, the participants had to answer individually, contributing to their collective scores. When the contest was over, and as the results were being tabulated, celebrity host Mr. Boy Abunda came in for a surprise activity: a contest for ten team advisers who were asked five questions on the Bible. Finally, when the results were proclaimed, three teams tied for the top spot: Ateneo de Iloilo, Cainta Catholic College, and St. Jerome Emiliani School. More questions were asked and Cainta Catholic College came out as the grand champion. The team received a prize of P25,000, a laptop computer for their school, trophies and medals. The nine finalists also received cash prizes, trophies, and medals. To enliven the contest and to help release tension, performances were rendered by TV 5 talent Hans Mortel, University of the East Chorale, Good Shepherd School of Imus, and St. Paul Seminary Choir. Sponsors of the Bible Quiz 2010 were: Albergus, Tamayo’s, Radio Veritas, Philippine Daily Inquirer, Union Bank, Pagcor, BioWish Philippines, EnvironKonsult, and WaterKonsult. At the end of the day, the minds and hands behind the event—the PrimeTrade people and the SSP Fathers, Brothers, and Seminarians—heaved a sigh of relief at the successful outcome of the Bible Quiz which they nurtured from the very start. The enthusiasm of the participants, their supporters, and the audience will certainly be a big factor for planning a similar event in the future. Hopefully, ST PAULS Bible Quiz will become a permanent fixture and attraction of the Manila International Book Fair.