𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐨 𝐑𝐚𝐝𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐰𝐬 𝟏𝟑 𝐬𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥𝐬, 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐦 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐳𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧

After months of delay, the Mindanao Association of Radiologic Technology Students (MARTS) opened its intercollegiate competition for 2025, gathering 13 participating schools on March 28 at the San Pedro College (SPC) Ulas campus.

Carrying the theme “One Profession, One Vision: Uniting Future Radiologic Technologists for Excellence,” the event was organized by the Association of Radiologic Technology Schools in Mindanao (ARTSM) in partnership with MARTS.

“Supposedly, this would happen every Nov. 8 because that is World Radiography Day, and it came to happen that due to the availability of the schedule of each of the respective schools or the members of this association, we moved the schedule. It was supposedly scheduled on Nov. 28-29 as a two-day activity. However, there were unforeseen circumstances due to the earthquake, so we proposed to move it in the second semester which is right now,” said Francis Sedillo, president of ARTSM.

Participating schools included AMYA Polytechnic College Inc., Cor Jesu College, Tagum Doctors College Inc., North Valley College, General Santos Doctors’ Medical School Foundation Inc., University of Southern Mindanao, San Pedro College, St. Alexius College, Mindanao Medical Foundation College, Kidapawan Doctors College Inc., Notre Dame Hospital and Siena College of Cotabato Inc., Davao Doctors College Inc., and Polytechnic College of Davao Del Sur.

“I am grateful for all the deans and program heads, faculty, [and] moderators who have helped us to realize this event into a meaningful and successful event in which most of our students are having fun and learning by collaborating among RadTech schools, not just competing with their skills and talents,” Sedillo shared.

The president also expressed hope for continued collaboration within the radiologic technology community, including future research congresses and community extension initiatives.

𝙀𝙫𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙡𝙖𝙥𝙨𝙚𝙨

With only one day allotted to complete major events such as the liveliest delegation, basketball, hip-hop, battle of the bands, and ambassador and ambassadress, the program experienced delays and failed to follow the intended timeline.

A member of the working committee from one of the participating schools, who requested anonymity under the alias “Ju,” said the event was disorganized, with internal information often poorly coordinated and at times contradictory messages from different organizing bodies.

“The program was packed with multiple activities that required significant time to execute, and this became a problem because, as a working committee of both [my school and the event], it was difficult to coordinate effectively when, in the first place, the schedule itself was not properly followed,” he said.

Ju also noted concerns about organizers’ conduct, citing visible bias during competitions.

“The decorum of the organizers, specifically the MARTS officers, has been concerning in the sense that many of them were loudly cheering for their respective delegates, and I believe that, as the organizing body, they are expected to remain nonpartisan,” Ju added.

The program concluded at around 11 p.m., later than the expected 8 p.m. end time, posing challenges for delegations in returning home.

𝙊𝙧𝙜𝙖𝙣𝙞𝙯𝙚𝙧𝙨, 𝙝𝙤𝙨𝙩𝙨’ 𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙥𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙚

One of the working committee members from the SPC Radiating Association of Young Strategists (RAYS) explained that the program fell behind schedule and was disorganized due to difficulties in coordination, as members came from different schools and some officers remained unresponsive.

“The real issue was a massive lack of early planning and clear communication. We also had some schools pull out, which left gaps in our leadership. For example, the Mr. and Ms. Ambassador event was left without a student officer in charge because the person originally assigned was no longer there, and no one stepped in to fill the void,” said Christian Abo-abo, MARTS Region XI Public Relations Officer (PRO).

He added that much of the event was handled reactively rather than according to a set plan, which led to a rushed, tense program toward the end.

He also stated that future events will prioritize early preparation and implement a “fail-safe” system for task assignments, ensuring that if an officer or school cannot participate, a backup person will be ready to take over.

Meanwhile, the main organizers, MARTS, remain under scrutiny from participants and have not yet issued a public statement addressing the issues.

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