With 27 campus journalists—its largest delegation yet—The Sagradan Jr. (TSJ) of the grade school department blazed a trail at the 2025 Regional Schools Press Conference (RSPC). Held March 21-23 at Bataan National High School in Balanga City, the competition saw TSJ sweep podium finishes and punch two tickets to the National Schools Press Conference (NSPC) in Vigan, Ilocos Sur.
Gav Andrei De Belen of 5-Voyager ruled the Copyediting and Headline Writing (English) category, capturing the championship and securing a spot on the national stage.
Adding to TSJ’s national campaign, the student publication Sagradan Jr. placed among Central Luzon’s top five school papers out of 105 entries in the elementary division. The paper took second place in Sports Page, sixth in Opinion Page, and eighth in Science and Technology Page under the guidance of student publication adviser Reinlois Felipe.
Meanwhile, TSJ’s head copyeditor, Daphne Therese Bagolor of 6-Copernicus, clinched bronze in Copyediting and Headline Writing (English). She and De Belen both landed podium finishes, rising above 63 competitors in their category.
In Features Writing, Samantha Venice Alejandria of 5-Atlas placed fifth. A first-time RSPC competitor, she described the experience as a surge of joy, pride, and hunger for more.
“RSPC was my first glimpse into the world of high-level journalism, and now, there is only one goal left in sight: NSPC,” she said.
Additionally, Jaimee Victoria Cruz of 5-Voyager placed fifth in Best News Presenter as part of her team’s Script Writing and Radio Broadcasting event. Rosscoe Jeramiah Tigo of 5-Voyager finished eighth in Photojournalism.
The journalists and the school paper represented the Schools Division of Baliwag City, the newest division in Region 3. In its RSPC debut, SDO Baliwag stormed the scene, finishing as the first runner-up and nearly overtaking its mother division, Bulacan.
Fresh off a dominant showing at RSPC 2025, the division now sets its sights on NSPC 2025, set for May 19-23 in Ilocos Sur, hosted by Region 1.