From Manila to Baguio: PUP campus journos win big in TRAC, OSSEI competitions

Campus journalists from Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) showcased their skills and expertise during two consecutive journalism competitions held last March, taking home multiple awards in different categories.  

PUP delegates first represented the University at the 4th National Campus Journalism Convention 2026, organized by Transforming Advocates and Champions (TRAC) Philippines, where they secured four major awards across different categories and were named Overall First Runner-up.

Among the delegates were Shane Elijah Dinglasan and Dionel Esteban, who secured first place for Editorial Writing in English and Filipino. 

Dinglasan and Esteban were given the general topic of the crisis in the Middle East. Dinglasan tackled the recent conflict involving the US, Israel, and Iran, arguing in her winning piece, "Immiscible Orient Sea and Greased Violence," that the Philippines must steer clear of these waging wars. On the other hand, Esteban—in his remarkable article "Tubig at Langis: Bakit Hindi Pwedeng Dedmahin ng Pinas ang Krisis sa Middle East?"—warned that Filipinos cannot simply dismiss the intensifying crisis in the region.

Figure 1. LADIES’ FI[R]ST (Photo taken by Josiah Edmund Delima)

In the Photojournalism category, Josiah Edmund Delima also won first place for his award-winning photo titled "LADIES' FI[R]ST," which uses a clever play on the words "first" and "fist." The image suggests that women are leading with an iron fist to prove their commitment to the truth—a direct nod to the theme, "Naninindigan sa Katotohanan," as interpreted by Delima.

Sean Adrielle Montebon also took home the trophy in Sports Writing for his exceptional article titled "Eala seizes first-ever SEA Games tennis gold, ends 26-year drought in Women's Singles." Montebon was assigned to cover the 2025 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games gold medal match, where he featured how our very own Alex Eala defeated Thailand's Mananchaya Sawangkaew to secure the nation's first singles gold in over two decades. 

PUP was named one of the Top Performing Schools among 60 universities across the country, earning first runner-up. 

With the theme "Investigative and Digital Journalism: Digital Platforms Championing Human Rights & Democracy," the three-day event gathered 386 journalists at the Manila Grand Opera Hotel from March 6 to 8. 

20 Years of OSSEI National Conference  

Following the first competition, three PUP delegates at the Organization of Student Services Educators, Inc. (OSSEI) National Conference on Campus Journalism and 20th Writing Competition also secured awards in their respective categories.

Held at the Crown Legacy Hotel in Baguio City from March 23 to 25, Louwie Mantilla placed third in Sports Writing, John Lester De Leon secured fifth place in Feature Writing, and Kier James Hernandez received an Honorable Mention in News Reporting.

In his Facebook post, Mantilla shared that he was “doomed” when their judge and lecturer, Ben Domingo, announced that they needed to write a sports opinion on human rights at their respective universities. He added that he had never once written such a piece for a contest. 

“The last time I did a column was 11 months ago, contributing to The Frontman for election pieces. And yet—here we are. Maybe miracles do actually happen,” he wrote. 

The Frontman is a youth-driven online media organization releasing columns, literary, and culture stories focusing on politics, lifestyle, and other social issues. 

De Leon, however, was shocked to hear the announcement that he came fifth, especially because he also represented PUP in TRAC in the same category but was unable to secure any spot in the top three. 

According to him, they were tasked to write a feature story about something ordinary in Baguio City, but with a hidden meaning. With the title “Flowers to Fall,” he chose flowers and local vendors in the city as his subjects. 

He highlighted in his article the irony that during the celebration of the Panagbenga Festival, instead of local vendors earning more due to the expected influx of visitors, they were faced with the opposite due to the lack of support from the Local Government Unit (LGU). Instead, it is the private sector that wins during the time while the locals are being left behind. 

Moreover, in News Reporting, the participants were tasked to write a news article about a Commission on Audit (COA) report of their university or Local Government Units (LGUs).  

In its 20th year, the event was attended by 24 universities, with a total of 181 students and advisers from all over the country. 

Both the OSSEI and TRAC are annual conferences and competitions that aim to bring together campus journalists nationwide to teach the essence of journalism beyond competitions.

Article: Kier James Hernandez and Rhean San Agustin 

Graphics: Justine Ceniza