ILOILO City —The Department of Education (DepEd) Region 6 has launched the 2026 Regional Schools Press Conference (RSPC), positioning the annual gathering as a platform to sharpen journalistic skills while confronting the challenges of misinformation and artificial intelligence (AI) in news production.
Carrying the theme “Journalism 4.0: Safeguarding Truth and Human Integrity in the Age of Artificial Intelligence,” the conference will bring together thousands of campus journalists from across Western Visayas for a series of individual and group competitions scheduled throughout February 2026.
Elementary-level individual contests will be held from February 9 to 11, followed by secondary-level individual events from February 13 to 15.
Group competitions for both elementary and secondary categories are set from February 19 to 21 at Punta Villa Resort in Arevalo, Iloilo City.
During the opening ceremony on February 9, DepEd-6 officer-in-charge regional director Cristito Eco stressed that the RSPC goes beyond rivalry and awards, underscoring the responsibility carried by young journalists in shaping public discourse.
“The RSPC is more than just a competition; it is a training ground for minds that may one day shape public discourse, influence communities, and safeguard democracy,” Eco said. “In a world full of misinformation, your voice and integrity matter.”
The conference features a wide range of individual contests, including news, editorial, feature, sports, science and technology, column writing, copy reading and headline writing, photojournalism, and editorial cartooning.
Group events will include radio and TV scriptwriting and broadcasting, collaborative desktop publishing, online publishing, and a mobile journalism exhibition for secondary participants.
School paper entries will also be judged across content sections — news, feature, editorial, science and technology, and sports — as well as layout and page design.
Adding an industry perspective, Capisnon filmmaker Kyd Torato of Southern Lantern Studios addressed participants, sharing how her background as a campus journalist shaped her professional path.
“I still use my learnings from being a campus journalist to what I am today. I owe everything to my teachers,” Torato said. “Journalism is not just a school activity; it is an important part of who you will be in the future.”
DepEd-6 said the 2026 RSPC remains a flagship program aimed at strengthening media literacy, ethical reporting, and critical thinking among learners, while fostering camaraderie and preparing young journalists for future roles in communication and media-related fields.
The regional office urged schools and divisions to fully support their delegates to ensure the success of the conference, which it described as an investment in developing responsible, well-grounded communicators for the years ahead./PN
