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CARCAR CITY, 10 July 2024 – As one of the highly anticipated events by the Department of Education (DepEd), around 3,145 learners across 17 regions of the country are set to show their journalistic skills and competencies in the conduct of the 2024 National Schools Press Conference (NSPC) from July 8 to 12.

“I wish you good luck in the competition. And we all want to see you as award-winning journalists in the future, not just for national awards but of course, for international awards,” Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Z. Duterte said.

Headed by the Curriculum and Teaching strand through the Bureau of Curriculum Development (BCD), the annual conference highlights various contests including news writing, sports writing, editorial cartooning, photojournalism, and TV and radio scriptwriting and broadcasting among others.

Selected campus journalists and school paper advisers will likewise learn a great deal on mobile journalism session led by Mr. Voltaire Tupaz, co-founder and CEO of multimedia production company LYF.

Senator Imee Marcos lauded the Department and various individuals who serve as the steady backbone of campus journalism.

“I congratulate the DepEd, the Secretary, the regional directors, all the educators, innovators, and creative thinkers responsible for campus journalism. Sa tuwing dinaraos ang NSPC, lalong nadadagdagan ang truth warriors, mandirigma ng katotohanan,” she said.

Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia, on the other hand, hopes for young Filipino journalists to advocate the core principles of journalism.

“You’re still in your elementary and high school years but already, you have demonstrated your interest in journalism. I hope that as you continue further in life where things will not always be black or white and there may be greys in between, it is my fervent prayer that you will always uphold the principles and tenets of responsible journalism.”

“Ethics is a personal choice. We may go through rims and rings of lectures, lessons, and books, but in the end, confronted with a situation where you must decide, above all, let your personal ethics prevail,” she added.

With the theme “Galing, Talino, at Husay ng mga Batang Makabansa sa Diwa ng MATATAG na Adhika,” this year’s conference is hosted by DepEd Region VII-Central Visayas led by Regional Director Salustiano T. Jimenez, with Carcar City and Cebu Province as the host divisions.

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