‎Top 40 Column Writing finalists advanced to the final round following the elimination stage of the Reconfigured Regional Schools Press Conference (RRSPC), held at Antipolo City National Science and Technology High School (ACNSTHS) on February 26.

‎

‎From the initial 300 delegates representing 25 divisions across CALABARZON, only 40 campus journalists each from Filipino and English category on Elementary and Secondary levels were able to secure slots for the final stage of the competition.

‎

‎Prior to the contest proper, speaker Mrs. Leah Juntado oriented the delegates regarding guidelines, followed by a Press Conference and Data Gathering Session for the contestants to accumulate information which will be essential for the writing of their articles.

‎

‎Heightened Stakes

‎With the narrowed roster of finalists, Charlize Jazi Mission, a qualifier from ACNSTHS expressed tension as the competition continued to heighten as they aimed to deliver well-structured and impactful outputs.

‎

‎“Since kakasabi lang po ni Ma'am Maravilla [ACNSTHS Principal] na kunin na po namin or yung spot sa top, parang nakaka-pressure po since dala-dala mo yung buong Antipolo sa paglaban dito," Mission said.

‎

‎Furthermore, Mission shared that the training days in line with the reconfigured system helped in improving the contestant's overall skills, contributing to her advancement in the top 40.

‎

‎Sharpened Voices

‎Alliah Donato, another finalist from ACNSTHS, shared that participating in RRSPC led to significant growth and improvement in writing and journalistic skills.

‎

‎“Ngayon po na may RRSPC, mas marami po akong natutunan and masasabi ko po na mas nag-improve po ako as a writer po or as a journalist,” Donato  stated.

‎

The fourth day formally concluded with reminders from organizers regarding the evaluation process right after the final articles were collected, with the final results to be further announced.