Legazpi City hosts 15^th Regional Elementary Schools Press Conference

... 910 pupil writers assemble in biggest academic competition

by Aida Alcazar-Naz

LEGAZPI CITY, January 24 (PIA) — Fifteen years ago Legazpi City hosted the first Regional Elementary Schools Press Conference (RESPC), and this year the same academic event, this time bigger with more events unfolds today.

Delegations from the six provinces and seven cities in Bicol converge for the grand opening this afternoon at the Albay Astrodome after a holy mass, parade capped by the Mayor’s Night this evening courtesy of the local government of Legazpi.

A total of 910 student writers from both public and private schools will compete in seven individual events in news writing, feature writing, editorial writing, sports writing copy reading and photojournalism plus the group contest in radio broadcasting both in English and Filipino. Each contestant vies for a slot to the National Schools Press Conference (NSPC) 2012 set in Puerto Princesa City, Palawan in April this year.

Of the 910 contestants, 56 regional winners will be selected to represent the region in the forthcoming national event.

For the last three years, Bicol was adjudged national champion reason why the Department of Education (DepEd) Bicol hopes for another championship this year. This was the optimistic sentiment averred by Dr. Regida N. Vibar, DepEd chief of the elementary division.

The presscons’ theme centers on Promoting Digital Literacy Through Campus Journalism with a new group category dubbed collaborative publishing as the highlight of the NSPC scheduled for April 9 to 13, 2012 in addition to radio broadcasting.

Dr. Vibar said that the regional team who will compete in the national contest will be selected form the regional winners. She is confident that a winning team will be organized from the pool of these winners aside from the inputs provided during the regional training on this event conducted October last year.

Like the group contest on scriptwriting and radio broadcasting the collaborative publishing competition will have a team of seven expected to produce a four-page tabloid using Microsoft Publisher software.

The contest is an opportunity for campus journalists to demonstrate digital literacy, demonstrate journalism skills and a means encourage the students to pursue careers and studies in journalism. Most of all the occasion enhances journalistic competence through healthy and friendly competitions, explained Vibar.

The regional contestants now gathered in the city are joined by their coaches whose ratio is almost 1 per student, hence more than a thousand delegates are now assembled in Legazpi.

Bicol Association of Elementary Schools Publication Advisers Sixto Orzales disclosed at the PIA radio program that the thousand plus delegates are housed in six billeting areas in six public schools scattered in the city. These temporary quarters are located in Albay Central School, and the elementary schools of Bagumbayan, Ibalon, Legazpi Port, Arimbay anad Bigaa.

Contests will be held at Rawis Elementary School though editorial cartooning is set at an activity center of a mall.

Prior to the event both the DepEd and the local government collaborated in the preparation. LGU particularly, saw to it that lights and water connection are in placed. Security is provided by the police along with public safety officers. Roving police and security officers will make sure that drivers of jeepneys especially tricycle will collect the correct fare from the delegates who are visitors of the city.

Legazpi City Division Association of School Paper Advisers Frenesi D. Cruz said that the community especially the parents of billeting schools did a brigade eskwela to prepare the quarters. (AAN/PIA V)