More than 1,400 young journalists gathered in Toledo City for an annual competition that emphasized the importance of truth in the age of artificial intelligence. The Division Schools Press Conference (DSPC) 2025 brought together student writers and broadcasters from across the city's educational institutions.
Education Chief Stresses Truth in AI Era
Dr. Joseph Irwin Lagura, schools division superintendent of Toledo City, delivered a powerful message during the opening ceremony held at the Toledo City Sports Center on Friday, November 21, 2025. Dr. Lagura reminded the young journalists that their primary responsibility is to speak for truth despite the challenges posed by advancing technology.
"As we navigate the era of Artificial Intelligence, let's remind that journalism speaks for truth," Dr. Lagura emphasized. "A campus journalist should not spread fake news but no other than the truth, facts."
Record Participation in Journalism Competition
The Department of Education Toledo City Division reported impressive participation numbers for this year's event. A total of 1,451 campus journalists from both public and private schools at elementary and secondary levels joined the competition. The contest proper ran from November 22 to 23, 2025.
This year's theme, "Empowering Filipino Youth: Unleashing Potentials in Journalism and Creative Industries in Era of Artificial Intelligence," highlighted the need for young journalists to adapt to technological changes while maintaining journalistic integrity.
Media's Role in Exposing Truth
Dr. Lagura further elaborated on the fundamental role of journalism across different media platforms. "The different media of journalism -- newspaper, TV, radio -- should expose truth, reality," he stated. "That is why with the application of AI, let's remain to present, to show, what is true, as an old precept says, 'The truth will set you free.'"
The education chief also reminded budding journalists to carefully evaluate facts before presenting them to the public. "We should think whether the facts are beneficial to the whole community. You should be truth bearer... let's remain truthful, let's present facts to the community we are serving," Dr. Lagura emphasized.
Inspiring the Next Generation of Journalists
Dr. Lagura challenged participants to become "responsible journalists as you grow" and cited prominent Filipino figures as inspiration. He mentioned great statesman Carlos P. Romulo and the late Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago, both alumni of national press conferences, as exemplary models for the young journalists to emulate.
The DSPC serves as an annual gathering of student-journalists from various schools within the division. Participants competed in several categories including:
- News writing
- Feature writing
- Editorial writing
- Editorial cartooning
- Column writing
- Sports writing
- Radio broadcasting
- Newspaper production
The winners of the Toledo City DSPC will advance to the Regional Schools Press Conference scheduled for March 2026 in Danao City, where they will compete against other division champions from the region.
