Category: News

Hanging on to their last chance to impress Taga-Wests during the culmination of this year’s University Days, several bands vied for a podium finish in this year’s Battle of the Bands competition at the WVSU Grounds, Jan. 30.

As one of the highly-anticipated contests in the yearly University Days, the participating bands representing their campuses and colleges did not disappoint the crowd with their musical numbers—ranging from all-time favorite songs like “Himala” by Rivermaya; “Bang Bang” by Ariana Grande, Jessie J, and Nicki Minaj; “Mundo” by IV of Spades; and “Basang-basa sa Ulan” by Aegis.

After an electrifying three-hour-long spectacle of talent, the College of Nursing emerged as the Champion, followed by last year’s champion Himamaylan City Campus at second place, and College of PESCAR at third, with the College of Education and Pototan Campus following at fourth and fifth spots respectively.

For the special awards, two ensembles went on neck-and-neck: Himamaylan City Campus winning the Best Guitarist, Best Bassist, and Best Drummer while the College of PESCAR snatching the Best Keyboardist and Best Vocalist.

Despite experiencing delays in the events due to unforeseen circumstances, this year’s Battle of the Bands competition left the crowd electrified, which continued even after the event during the WVSU Night.

#BANAAGsangWEST2026#OneWVSU
#WVSUTransformingGenerations#WVSUexcels
2026 University Days Special Coverage by WVSU Student Publications

Write-up by Abbygale Hope Abasolo & Amiel Roy Zaulda/ Pagyuhum Publication

Photos by Benz Nicolf Casador, Circo Lawrence Dumaicos, & Aryhan Kate Patrona/ Pagyuhum Publication

The sounds from the speakers echoed louder, and the sharpness of voices flowing through the microphones was strongly felt as the West Visayas State University (WVSU) community witnessed the first-ever Radio Broadcasting Competition of the 2026 University Days on Friday afternoon, January 30, at the WVSU Audio-Visual Hall.

Nine (9) colleges and satellite campuses of the university showcased and raised their banners high, demonstrating their skills and competence in journalism and on-air news broadcasting. Among the contenders in the competition were WVSU Pototan Campus (Tribu Algao), College of Communication (Tribu Delan), College of Business and Management (Tribu Mayari), College of Education (Tribu Hanan), College of Arts and Sciences (Tribu Adlaw), College of Nursing (Tribu Haliya), WVSU Janiuay Campus (Tribu Mapatar), WVSU Himamaylan City Campus (Tribu Libulan), and the College of PESCAR (Tribu Dalikmata).

In an interview, John Paul Guerra, a former Regional Schools Press Conference (RSPC) Radio Broadcasting Qualifier and a third-year Bachelor of Secondary Education major in Social Studies student from Tribu Libulan of WVSU Himamaylan City Campus, shared his excitement about the competition and his experience as a member of their radio news team representing their campus.

“Actually, when I entered West [Visayas State University], isa gid sa mga gina-look forward ko nga competition amo ang Radio Broadcasting. But sad to say, sang first year ko, wala pa ini ginahimo. Sang second year naman, nag-asa gid ako, pero wala pa gid gihapon. But in God’s will, natabo na gid ini—nga daw ka-miss man bala sa feeling. and it felt great, actually. The tension, ang kakulba, kag ang kasadya during our performance were all worth it gid ya, kag indi gid ini mabayluhan sang bisan ano nga bagay,” Guerra said.

At the last day of the Bana-ag sa West celebration on Friday, January 30, the winners from the Individual, Group, and Major Awards were also recognized. Darlen Miranda of the College of Nursing (Tribu Haliya) received the Best News Presenter award. LJ Orpheus Soriano and Lourlene Mondejar, also from Tribu Haliya, were named Best Anchors. The same college also bagged the Best Technical Application and Best Script awards. Meanwhile, the College of Communication (Tribu Delan) won Best in Infomercial.

Tribu Dalikmata of the College of PESCAR placed as 4th Runner-Up, followed by the College of Education (Tribu Hanan) in 3rd Runner-Up. Tribu Libulan of WVSU Himamaylan City Campus secured the 2nd Runner-Up position, while Tribu Delan of the College of Communication finished as 1st Runner-Up. Emerging as the champion of the inaugural Radio Broadcasting Competition was Tribu Haliya of the College of Nursing.

As the competition marked its first year, the Radio Broadcasting Competition aimed to provide student broadcasters a platform to hone their skills in on-air journalism, teamwork, and technical application. With its successful first run, the university envisions the competition as a continuing and expanding event in the coming years, strengthening campus journalism and nurturing future media professionals among the Taga-West.

#BANAAGsangWEST2026#OneWVSU
#WVSUTransformingGenerations#WVSUexcels

2026 University Days Special Coverage by WVSU Student Publications

Write-Up by Jeff Brian Caña, The Mediator
Photos by Matthew Immanuel Sayman, Ken Torres, The Mediator

Short scenes left lasting impressions as 10 colleges brought original plays to the West Visayas State University (WVSU) Cultural Center stage on the evening of Jan. 29, 2026 as part of the Day 3 activities of the 2026 University Days.

Student groups from various colleges presented original plays lasting 5 to 10 minutes. These showcased diverse stories addressing the impact of social media on youth, family unity, Filipino values, and other relevant issues affecting contemporary young people.

With genres ranging from drama to comedy, the performances reflected the creativity and talent of the Taga-West community.

Performances were evaluated based on acting, directing, technical design, and overall play quality. Criteria focused on the interpretation of material, use of space, technical execution, and the effectiveness of storytelling in engaging the audience.

The theatrical showcase brought the third day of festivities to a close as the university celebration heads into its final day.

#BANAAGsangWEST2026#OneWVSU
#WVSUTransformingGenerations#WVSUexcels

2026 University Days Special Coverage by WVSU Student Publications

Write-up by Jurish Pauleen Hitalia, ICON Publication
Photos by Meryll Klaryze Polaron, ICON Publication

Showcasing the depth and reach of student leadership, Tribu Adlaw of the College of Arts and Sciences emerged champion of the 2026 Banggianay after a hard-fought finals against Tribu Haliya of the College of Nursing.

The two teams debated whether to reverse and set aside the 2023 WVSU Student Court rulingon term limits, with Tribu Adlaw on the affirmative and Tribu Haliya on the negative.

Opening the debate, necessity speaker Joe Allen Marañon argued that the ruling was erroneous for imposing candidacy restrictions not found in the Student Constitution.

“The law is permissive, not prohibitive,” Marañon said, stressing that election rules should encourage democratic participation among students.

Tribu Haliya defended the ruling as a necessary interpretation of a vague constitutional provision, citing its continued application across the past three elections and student administrations.

Beneficiality speaker Kristine Kaye Serra countered that the ruling limits students’ freedom to choose their leaders and creates gaps in student governance, particularly the second-year leadership gap.

Practicability speaker EJ Gatila added that the proposal was feasible and well within the Student Court’s power of judicial self-correction.

In rebuttal, Serra reinforced the team’s main arguments and concluded her speech with, “It is our side that has truly shined the brightest.”

After deliberation, the adjudicators ruled in favor of Tribu Adlaw, with Angelie Marie Garrido, Non-necessity Speaker of Tribu Haliya, taking both Best Speaker and Best Debater honors in the finals, officially concluding the 2026 Banggianay.

The following are the individual awards from the semi-finals:

Match 10 (CAS vs PESCAR)
Best Speaker – Kristine Kaye Serra, Beneficiality Speaker (CAS)
Best Debater – Kristine Kaye Serra, Beneficiality Speaker (CAS)

Match 11 (CON vs COE)
Best Speaker – Jeff Emmanuel Sambrano, Practicability Speaker (CON)
Best Debater – Jeff Emmanuel Sambrano, Practicability Speaker (CON)

Here are the overall standings of the colleges for this year’s Banggianay:

3rd Runner-up – Tribu Hanan (COE)
2nd Runner-up – Tribu Dalikmata (COP)
1st Runner-up – Tribu Haliya (CON)
Champion – Tribu Adlaw (CAS)

The team was also backed by researchers Jafra Jul Siruelo, Samantha Lourdes Baniel, and Mag Jey Aribal,whose support proved vital to their success.

As the event concluded, Serra shared in an interview that the victory was fulfilling and credited the success to the collective effort of the team and their researchers, emphasizing that the achievement would not have been possible without their support.

#BANAAGsangWEST2026#OneWVSU
#WVSUTransformingGenerations#WVSUexcels

2026 University Days Special Coverage by WVSU Student Publications

Write up by Tracy Anne Freires/The Courier
Photos by Cassandra Alexa Ciasico/The Courier

Seventeen teams composed of four students from different colleges and campuses of West Visayas State University (WVSU) competed in the Quiz Bowl Competition as part of the 2026 University Days (U-Days), held on January 30 at the Research and Extension Building of the College of Law from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.

The event opened with remarks from Prof. Obed Joy Gaitan, contest adviser, who encouraged participants to “FEAR—Face everything and rise”. The Quiz Bowl consisted of ten questions per round, namely the Beginner, Intermediate, Difficult, and Advanced round with one point, two points, three points, and five points worth each question respectively.

The subjects covered were Mathematics, Science, Hiligaynon, Literature, and Social Sciences. Representatives from different departments answered by raising their whiteboards after the timer ended.

Faculty members who prepared the questions were recognized during the program and were awarded certificates of appreciation for their contributions.

After the final round, the College of Nursing secured first place, followed by the College of Arts and Sciences in second place and the College of Medicine in third place. The Integrated Laboratory School placed fourth, while Janiuay Campus finished in fifth place.

#BANAAGsangWEST2026 #OneWVSU
#WVSUTransformingGenerations #WVSUexcels

2026 University Days Special Coverage by WVSU Student Publications

Write up by Tricia Jane A. Santorce & Helen Natalie D. Bolivar/The Blue Quill

Photos by Ivette D. Clementir/The Blue Quill

The 2026 University Days broadcast competitions highlighted both the emergence of new champions and the sustained excellence of established contenders, as colleges vied for top honors in the Newscasting and Radio Drama categories on Day 4, January 30, at the COC Building.

The events underscored the university’s growing culture of media practice and performance across disciplines.

In the Newscasting Category, the College of Nursing emerged as champion, marking a breakthrough victory after years of competition. The College of Communication, which entered the contest as back-to-back champion and eyeing a third straight title, placed fifth in this year’s results. Completing the rankings were the College of Education in second place, Lambunao Campus in third, and the College of Arts and Sciences in fourth.

The College of Nursing’s championship was led by Francis Immanuel Fuentespina, who improved on his second-place finish last year to finally secure the top spot. His return and strong showing contributed to the college’s first-place finish, signaling steady growth and competitiveness in campus broadcast journalism.

Despite the setback in newscasting, the College of Communication proved its enduring excellence in broadcast arts as it continued to reign supreme in the Radio Drama Competition, clinching its fourth championship title in the annual University Days. The College of Nursing placed second, followed by the College of Arts and Sciences in third, College of PESCAR in fourth, and the College of Agriculture and Forestry in fifth.

The Radio Drama victory reflects the College of Communication’s continued strength in creative audio production, highlighting its training in storytelling, performance, and technical execution.

This year’s UDays broadcast competition showcased not only rivalry but also resilience, growth, and excellence among colleges highlighting the breadth of talent and commitment to media practice across the university.

#BANAAGsangWEST2026#OneWVSU
#WVSUTransformingGenerations#WVSUexcels

2026 University Days Special Coverage by WVSU Student Publications

Write-up by Gierson Bordon/The Mediator
Photos by Ken Torres and Matthew Immanuel Sayman/The Mediator