From school newsroom to national TV: iKalinga campus journalist set for Eat Bulaga feature

Tabuk City - Following her historic victory in a national press conference, iKalinga young journalist Marian Cuevo is set to appear on national television after receiving an invitation from the popular Philippine noontime variety show Eat Bulaga!.

It can be recalled that Cuevo was named the 2026 Most Outstanding Campus Journalist in the Philippines during the National Schools Press Conference 2026 held from April 13 to 17 in Ormoc City. She became the first from the province to receive the recognition while representing the Schools Division Office of Kalinga.

Behind her success was the unwavering guidance and mentorship of Coach Maynard Carbonel, who helped shape her campus journalism journey and assisted in preparing the portfolio that eventually earned her the prestigious award.

The former editor-in-chief of Ang Bandilyo, the official school publication of Rizal National School of Arts and Trades, recently graduated from high school with high honors.

Fresh from their national triumph, Carbonel revealed in a Facebook post that they had received an invitation from Eat Bulaga, the country’s long-running noontime show currently airing on TV5.

“Talaga ba? From DO•CUE to Dabarkads, na?! Bulaga! RNSAT and Kalinga represent!,” Carbonel wrote.

Attached to the post were screenshots of a letter from TVJ Productions Incorporated, stating that Cuevo was invited to participate in one of the show’s featured segments.

In an interview with Guru Press Cordillera, Carbonel shared that the invitation came unexpectedly shortly after their successful stint at the NSPC.

According to him, the show’s staff first contacted him through Messenger to ask whether they were willing to appear as guests. They later coordinated possible schedules before formally confirming the invitation through an official letter.

“Right after the NSPC in Ormoc City, a staff member from TV5's Eat Bulaga reached out to me to see if pwede kami mag-guest sa segment nila. Nag-message sila sa Messenger, then hinanapan ng magandang schedule. Then yesterday (May 26), I received the formal letter including the schedule of travel and taping,” he relayed.

When asked about their reaction upon receiving the invitation, Carbonel said they felt extremely happy and honored, never expecting that their achievements in campus journalism would gain national recognition.

“We're very gleeful kasi imagine, from a normal classroom student and teacher, nakita tayo because of our achievements and the pride we brought to our province,” he said.

The coach further stressed that the opportunity is not only a personal milestone for him and Cuevo but also a chance to highlight Kalinga’s growing excellence in campus journalism on national television. Once on the show, he said Marian will showcase their school’s journalism practices and continue inspiring more young people to engage in responsible storytelling.

“We can finally present to national TV our school’s best practices in journalism. Our team organization, DO•CUE, finally reached the national level. Through this appearance on national TV, I hope we can bring another pride to our province. We want to inspire more youth to embrace transparency, accountability, and storytelling through campus journalism,” he added.

Although he had previously been featured on regional television because of his work as a teacher, coach, traveler, and content creator, Carbonel admitted that he never imagined their hard work in journalism would eventually open doors to national media exposure.

Carbonel said many young writers and fellow iKalingas have already expressed excitement over the possibility of seeing one of their own featured on national television.