Caraga clinches first overall championship at 2025 National Schools Press Conference
BUTUAN CITY (MindaNews / 24 May) – In a historic first, the Caraga Region emerged as the overall champion in the 2025 National Schools Press Conference (NSPC), the Department of Education’s (DepEd) annual competition for campus journalists in elementary and secondary schools nationwide.
The announcement was made on Friday, May 23, during the awarding and closing ceremony of the five-day journalism tilt held in Vigan City, Ilocos Sur.
Caraga bested 16 other regions, clinching its first overall championship in the history of the NSPC.
The region’s victory ended Davao Region’s bid for a consecutive win, following its overall championship in the 2024 NSPC held in Carcar City, Cebu.
Caraga bagged top honors in several categories, including first place overall in the secondary level, first place in the individual contests for secondary students, and third place in the group contests, also in the secondary level.
Maria Ines C. Asuncion, DepEd Caraga Regional Director praised the achievement in a statement posted on social media, highlighting the collective effort behind the historic victory.
“This achievement reflects the talent, dedication, and spirit of our Caraganon youth… Behind these successes are the unwavering support of parents, the guidance of advisers and coaches, and the steadfast backing of Caraga’s local government units. Your collective effort made these victories possible,” she said.
Asuncion also urged the region’s young journalists to remain committed to the values of truth, integrity, and excellence.
“These wins inspire us all and prove that with unity and hard work, Caraga can reach even greater heights,” she added.
The NSPC is conducted annually under Republic Act 7079, or the Campus Journalism Act of 1991, which aims to promote campus journalism and enhance journalistic skills among elementary and secondary students across the country.
Caraga last landed among the top-performing regions in 2023, placing fifth overall.
In a separate statement posted by DepEd Caraga, Gladys S. Asis, Regional Journalism Coordinator reflected on the region’s journey to the top, saying “there was a time when Caraga was merely a whisper, a soft murmur of hope in a room full of giants” referring to consistently dominant regions like Region IV-A (Calabarzon) and National Capital Region.
“Today, we do not just raise a trophy, we raise a legacy. This is not just a win. This is a revolution of the spirit, a dream etched in ink and lifted by voices too powerful to be ignored,” Asis added.
Asis also paid tribute to the student journalists who represented Caraga in the competition.
“You stood not just to win, but to represent voices, lives, and stories that matter. You have made history and more importantly, you have made us believe again,” she said.
Joining Caraga in the overall rankings were Region IV-B (Mimaropa) in second place, Region IV-A in third, Region XI (Davao Region) in fourth, and the NCR in fifth.
This year’s NSPC also introduced a new element to the program with the inclusion of Mobile Journalism (MoJo), through a concurrent session led by FYT Media in partnership with DepEd.
The competition featured various individual categories, including News Writing, Editorial Writing, Editorial Cartooning, Editorial Column Writing, Feature Writing, Sports Writing, Copyreading and Headline Writing, Photojournalism, and Science and Technology Writing.
Group contests included Radio Broadcasting and Scriptwriting, Television Broadcasting and Scriptwriting, Collaborative Desktop Publishing, and Online Publishing. (Ivy Marie Mangadlao/MindaNews
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