White & Blue, the official student publication of Saint Louis University (SLU), punched its ticket to the Luzon-wide tilt after capturing the Overall Best Student Publication crown at the Regional Higher Education Press Conference (RHEPC) held at Baguio Central University (BCU) on 11-13 February 2026.
Carrying the theme “Voices Ablaze: Campus Journalists as Vigilant Truthtellers,” the press conference aimed to foster fellowship and solidarity among campus journalists in the Cordillera and enhance the practice and standards of campus journalism in higher education institutions.
The competition consisted of 17 individual categories and group contests with four brackets, including newsletter, tabloid, magazine, and literary folio.
On 19 February 2026, White & Blue paid a courtesy call on Rev. Fr. Gilbert B. Sales, CICM, PhD, SLU President, with the region’s Highest Individual Top Scorer, Rouize Pancho who garnered first place in the Editorial Cartooning (Digital), Literary Graphics (Digital), and Comic Strip (Digital) categories.
White & Blue topped the individual categories and placed Second Runner-up in the group events.
Attaining Second Runner-up in the group categories, Idapuan, the publication’s cultural magazine, was awarded Second Place; Third Place in News Page; Second Place in Literary Page; and Best Page in Feature, Developmental Communication, Sports, Layout, and Cover.
Also, White & Blue’s European Tabloid garnered Third Place, securing Fifth Place in News Page and Layout; Third Place in Developmental Communication; Second Place in Opinion, Feature, and Sports Page; and Best Page in Literary.
Inquiry, the annual election issue of White & Blue, earned Fifth Place for Editorial Page and Best Layout.
Moreover, the representatives for Mr. and Ms. RHEPC, Ralph Ivan Aniceto and Yonex Francesca Cerna, were crowned Mr. RHEPC 2026 and Ms. RHEPC 2026 Second Runner-up, respectively. Both also received minor awards, including Best Advocacy and Best in Journalism Attire for both male and female categories, and Mr. Wit for Aniceto.
Pancho, the highest individual scorer of the competition, expressed his gratitude and assured that he would continue to do his best at the next stage.
“I am extremely grateful to be the highest individual pointer in RHEPC and rest assured that I will continue to do my very best in LHEPC,” Pancho stated.
Further, Kent Harvey Catingub, one of White & Blue’s advisers, shared that this victory is an encouraging beginning, acknowledged the members’ dedication despite his brief time as adviser, and voiced confidence in their continued success in the upcoming Luzon-wide competition.
“Not only does White & Blue’s placement as the Overall Champion serve as a great start for the year, but it also sets a good precedent for what’s to come. While I’m still new to being an adviser and have only met the students briefly, I was still able to see that everyone worked really hard during the competition. I’m glad that their hard work and effort were not in vain,” Catingub stated.
“I sincerely hope the campus journalists of White & Blue maintain their momentum and continue to bag more awards in the upcoming LHEPC. They’re the best in their categories for a reason, and may they bring that success to the Luzon-wide competition,” Catingub added.
Moreover, in an interview with White & Blue’s Editor-in-Chief Penelope Dela Cruz, the award and recognition given to the publication were due to the drive of the journalists.
“I feel proud for my team that we’re able to clinch the Overall Champion title. Since it was a week before [the] examination, the challenge was finding time to train. However, with the determination, ability, and passion [for] journalism of my team, we were able to achieve this success,” Dela Cruz said.
The publication, carrying their feats, will be part of the other Cordilleran publications that will be representing CAR in the Luzon-wide Higher Education Press Conference to be held in Tuguegarao City, Cagayan Valley, on 17-19 March 2026. CAR will be among the 7 competing regions from Luzon, along with one undisclosed guest region.
The winners in the individual categories are as follows:
WRITING CATEGORIES
- Feature Writing (English) – 2nd Place
- Kathleen Therese Catingub, BA Communication
- Feature Writing (Filipino) – 4th Place
- Keziah Lois Sargento, BS Psychology
- News Writing (English) – 3rd Place
- Penelope Dela Cruz, BA Political Science
- News Writing (Filipino) – 7th Place
- Ralph Ivan Aniceto, BS Psychology
- Development Communication Writing (English) – 2nd Place
- Kathleen Therese Catingub, BA Communication
- Development Communication Writing (Filipino) – 4th Place
- Russel James Manucdoc, BS Medical Laboratory Science
- Opinion Writing (English) – 2nd Place
- Josiah Jeshua Bruno, BA Political Science
- Opinion Writing (Filipino) – 2nd Place
- Theresa Renee Hachi Castillo, BS Psychology
- Poetry Writing (Filipino) – 3rd Place
- Riz Anne Chelsea Balmes, BS Pharmacy
- Editorial Writing (English) – 9th Place
- Penelope Dela Cruz, BA Political Science
- Editorial Writing (Filipino) – 5th Place
- Jelique Reese Serrano, BS Chemical Engineering
- Copyreading & Headline Writing (English) – 1st Place
- Keziah Mae Tingga-an, BS Computer Science
- Copyreading & Headline Writing (Filipino) – 6th Place
- Yonex Cerna, BS Pharmacy
- Sports Writing (English) – 1st Place
- Irish Bill Delangosa, BS Medical Laboratory Science
- Sports Writing (Filipino) – 2nd Place
- Ralph Ivan Aniceto, BS Psychology
TECHNICAL CATEGORIES
- Infographics – 3rd Place
- Serenity Mateo, BS Architecture
- Mobile Journalism – 1st Place
- Hajkeem Lintao, BA Communication
- Layout – 4th Place
- Russel James Manucdoc, BS Medical Laboratory Science
TRADITIONAL CATEGORIES
- Editorial Cartooning (English) – 1st Place
- John Patrick Leandado, BS Architecture
- Editorial Cartooning (Filipino) – 2nd Place
- Carlos Garcia, BS Architecture
- Literary Graphics (English) – 3rd Place
- John Patrick Leandado, BS Architecture
- Literary Graphics (Filipino) – 1st Place
- Carlos Garcia, BS Architecture
- Comic Strip (English) – 4th Place
- John Patrick Leandado, BS Architecture
- Comic Strip (Filipino) – 3rd Place
- Carlos Garcia, BS Architecture
DIGITAL CATEGORIES
- Editorial Cartooning (English) – 1st Place
- Rouize Pancho, BS Architecture
- Editorial Cartooning (Filipino) – 2nd Place
- Bherniz John Llamelo, BS Medical Laboratory Science
- Comic Strip (English) – 1st Place
- Rouize Pancho, BS Architecture
- Comic Strip (Filipino) – 3rd Place
- Bherniz John Llamelo, BS Medical Laboratory Science
- Literary Graphics (English) – 1st Place
- Rouize Pancho, BS Architecture
- Literary Graphics (Filipino) – 1st Place
- Char Antonia Lagera, Bachelor of Multimedia Arts
(Article by Ralph Ivan Aniceto, Penelope Dela Cruz, and Keziah Mae Tingga-an | Photos by Mond Baldonadi)
