NEWS FEATURE | September 07, 2026-๐ช๐ต๐ฒ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ง๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ง๐ฎ๐ธ๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฆ๐ฝ๐ผ๐๐น๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐: ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ด๐ฎโ๐ ๐ง๐ฎ๐น๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ผ๐ป๐ด ๐๐๐ฟ๐ผ ๐ฆ๐ต๐ถ๐ป๐ฒ๐ ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ ๐ถ๐ป๐ฑ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฎ๐ผ ๐ฆ๐๐ฎ๐ด๐ฒ
Sep 8, 2026 - 5 minutes read
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITYโFor years, teachers have been accustomed to putting their learners at center stageโguiding them, mentoring them, and celebrating their achievements.
But on September 5, 2026, at the Limketkai Atrium in Cagayan de Oro City, the spotlight turned toward the teachersโand Caraga made its presence felt.
Representing the Region, the Schools Division Office of Surigao del Sur emerged as the Champion of the 2026 National Teachersโ Month (NTM) Talentadong Guro Mindanao-Cluster Competition, while the Caraga delegation also secured Second Place in the Bench Cheering Competition during the 2026 National Teachersโ Month Kickoff Celebration.
The twin achievements brought pride and recognition to Caraga during the Mindanao-wide gathering, which brought together educators and delegations from across the cluster for the national kickoff celebration.
The competition provided a larger stage for educators to demonstrate that beyond their roles as teachers, mentors, advisers, and school leaders are individuals with talents, creativity, artistry, energy, and passion worthy of recognition.
For Caragaโs Talentadong Guro representative, however, the journey to the Mindanao stage began a week earlier.
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ๐ป๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ผ ๐๐ฎ๐ด๐ฎ๐๐ฎ๐ป ๐ฑ๐ฒ ๐ข๐ฟ๐ผ
On August 28, 2026, the 2026 NTM Talentadong Guro Regional Level Selection brought together representatives from eight Schools Division Offices (SDOs)โSurigao del Sur, Tandag City, Surigao City, Butuan City, Bislig City, Agusan del Norte, Dinagat Islands, and Cabadbaran City.
Carrying the theme โTeacher, Ikaw Naman,โ the regional selection gave teachers the opportunity to step beyond their familiar roles and reveal another side of themselves through talent, creativity, and artistic performance.
After spending much of their professional lives placing their learners in the spotlight, the invitation this time was directed toward the teachers themselves: Teacher, Ikaw Naman.
At the end of the competition, SDO Surigao del Sur emerged as the 1st Placer, followed by SDO Bislig City as the 2nd Placer and SDO Agusan del Norte as the 3rd Placer.
The performances were evaluated by a panel of judges composed of Ronald Allan H. Butalid, Airish Delfin-Fabiana, and Ronald Zagado, based on the prescribed judging criteria.
The regional victory earned SDO Surigao del Sur the opportunity to represent the entire Caraga Region in the Mindanao-Cluster competition.
๐ ๐๐ถ๐ด๐ด๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฆ๐๐ฎ๐ด๐ฒ, ๐ ๐ฆ๐ต๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ฉ๐ถ๐ฐ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐
With only one week to prepare, the Surigao del Sur delegation carried the hopes of Caraga to Cagayan de Oro City.
There, on a stage shared with representatives from across Mindanao, Caragaโs regional champion once again performedโthis time before a much wider audience and in a competition that brought together the talents of educators from across the Mindanao cluster.
The result was another milestone.
SDO Surigao del Sur was hailed as the Champion of the Mindanao Cluster, bringing the Talentadong Guro Award home to Caraga.
Caraga's celebration did not end there. The Region also demonstrated its energy, unity, and collective spirit in the Bench Cheering Competition, where the Caraga delegation secured Second Place.
Together, the two awards capped a strong showing by Caraga at the 2026 National Teachersโ Month Kickoff Celebration.
The achievement was met with pride by Regional Director Dr. Allan G. Farnazo, CESO III, who expressed his appreciation to the teacher-representatives and the teams that helped make Caragaโs participation possible.
โI find special joy and pride in the performance of our Region in this dayโs Launching of the National Teachersโ Month Celebration. Congratulations and thanks so much. The Talentadong Guro Award capped our performance,โ Farnazo said.
For the Regional Director, the achievements represented more than awards.
โSmall gains these gains may be but this will eventually lead us to a
bigger milestones,โ he added.
Farnazo likewise expressed his gratitude to SDO Surigao del Sur and the teams led by ESSD Chief Dr. Edmund D. Mendoza, Regional Partnership Focal Person Adrilene Mae J. Castaรฑos, and the team of Pedro A. Tecson, Regional Information Officer, for their coordination, partnership, and communications support.
๐ง๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ, ๐๐ธ๐ฎ๐ ๐ก๐ฎ๐บ๐ฎ๐ป
Beyond the championship and the awards, the 2026 National Teachersโ Month celebration offered a simple but powerful reminder: teachers are more than the roles they perform every day.
They are individuals with stories, abilities, creativity, talents, and passions that also deserve to be seen and celebrated.
The theme โTeacher, Ikaw Namanโ therefore became more than a competition theme. It became an invitationโan invitation for teachers to step forward, express themselves, perform, and allow others to see the person behind the profession.
For a few minutes onstage, teachers were no longer simply the people standing before a classroom board, facilitating lessons, checking outputs, or guiding learners.
They were performers.
They were artists.
They were storytellers.
They were talents waiting to be seen.
From the regional stage in Caraga to the Mindanao-wide spotlight in Cagayan de Oro City, the Region's performance demonstrated what can happen when teachers are given the opportunity to shine.
For once, the people who are usually busy creating opportunities for others were given their own moment.
The teachers took the spotlightโand Caraga gave Mindanao something to cheer about.
By: Jairha Anne T. Sususco
TA I - ESSD
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For more information, contact (085) 221-1151, 0961-737-0873, or 0915-808-4734. Website: www.caraga.deped.gov.ph; email: caraga@deped.gov.ph; pau_caraga@deped.gov.ph
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