Select Page

Category: News & Events

ADDU Ranks No. 1 in Davao Region in Sept 2026 Social Work Licensure Exam

Ateneo de Davao University (ADDU) ranked first in the Davao Region in the September 2026 Social Workers Licensure Examination (SWLE), earning recognition as a Top Performing School among institutions with 10 to 50 examinees and a passing rate of at least 80%.
The School of Arts and Sciences, through its Department of Social Work, produced 18 new licensed social workers after every examinee from ADDU passed. That is a 100% passing rate, compared with a national passing rate of about 76%, as 8,383 of 10,991 examinees passed.
The Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) and the Board for Social Workers administered the examination on 9 to 11 September 2026, in testing centers across the country, including Davao, with results released on September 16. Among schools with 10 to 50 examinees, ADDU’s 18 of 18 passers placed it among the institutions that cleared every one of their takers.
The result adds to the Social Work Department’s record in the licensure examination. The program has built a track record of producing licensed professionals from Mindanao for the field.
The University extended its gratitude to School of Arts and Sciences Dean Dr. Nelly Z. Limbadan, RPsy, RPm, CSCLP; Social Sciences Cluster Assistant Dean Dr. Jerome A. Serrano; and Social Work Department Chairperson Dr. Leah Mae Jabilles-Evasco. The community also thanked the faculty, staff, and students whose guidance and support made the milestone possible.

Ateneo de Davao Bags Top Awards at RSTW, Handa Pilipinas 2026

The Ateneo de Davao University community earned top recognitions at the Regional Science, Technology, and Innovation Week (RSTW) and Handa Pilipinas 2026, held from 15 to 17 October 2026 at the SMX Convention Center, Davao City.
The honors were shared by the School of Business and Governance (SBG), the ADDVentures Innovation Center, and the Robotics Engineering Department.
Startups take first and third place
At the 2nd Startup Pitching Competition: Innovation to Impact, held in collaboration with SBG, ADDVentures startup incubatees Azolife and BantayAni placed First and Third, respectively.
Organized by the Department of Science and Technology – Davao Region (DOST XI) as part of RSTW, the competition gives founders from recognized Technology Business Incubators a stage to pitch scalable, science-based solutions to regional concerns.
Azolife, represented by Kuiper Von Powell Leybag, took First Place. According to the ADDVentures Innovation Center, the venture makes affordable, customizable bioplastic bags from Azolla, a fast-growing aquatic plant that does not compete with food crops, helping small businesses shift away from plastic in line with the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act (RA 9003).
BantayAni, represented by Romar Izzy Flestado, Ricky Rodrigo, Jr., and Stephen Dominic Lim, took Third Place. ADDVentures describes it as a satellite- and AI-driven platform that gives Municipal Agricultural Officers early warnings of crop stress and speeds up crop insurance verification, cutting payout waiting time from over 20 days to around two.
Youth excellence in science awardees
Four Ateneo students were named Youth Excellence in Science (YES) Awardees of DOST XI: Gerolfein Sitchon, Nicolo Emyr Fabila, Jesse Ender Aclan, and Equiezha Gwenaelle Tidor.
Conferred by the DOST Science Education Institute, the YES medal recognizes outstanding young Filipinos as emerging leaders and advocates in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
Best booth and a leadership plaque
ADDVentures and the Robotics Engineering Department also earned Third Place for Best Booth. Dr. Rogel Mari Sese, Director of the ADDVentures Innovation Center, received a Plaque of Recognition as a Philippine Science and Technology Development Lead 2026.
About the event
Held annually under the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), the Regional Science, Technology, and Innovation Week (RSTW) showcases homegrown innovations and success stories, giving the public a chance to experience Filipino science and technology firsthand.
Running alongside it, Handa Pilipinas is DOST’s disaster risk reduction and management exposition, which promotes public awareness and the wider use of DOST-developed technologies for disaster preparedness, response, and recovery.

Ateneo de Davao and DurianPy Seal Partnership at PyCon Davao 2026

Ateneo de Davao University and DurianPy formalized their partnership through a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) signing on 17 October 2026, held alongside PyCon Davao 2026 at the University’s Finster Auditorium.
Signing for the University were Fr. Karel S. San Juan, SJ, University President, and Dr. Oneil B. Victoriano, Assistant Dean of the Computer Studies Cluster. DurianPy was represented by its User Group Lead, Mr. Arnel Jan Sarmiento, together with PyCon Davao 2026 Lead Organizers Ms. Alyssa Mhie Matila and Ms. Nica Zoe Dable.
A gathering of Davao’s tech community
Held under the theme “Paglantaw: Envisioning the Future through Python,” PyCon Davao 2026 brought together developers, students, educators, founders, and technology enthusiasts. Ms. Dable opened the program with her remarks as Lead Organizer.
The two-day event is DurianPy’s second full-scale conference. The first day featured keynotes, talks, panel discussions, and workshops, while the second was devoted to a sprint day of open-source contributions and mentor-led sessions. It follows the 2025 edition, which marked the first full-scale Python conference in the Davao Region.
DurianPy is a Python user group recognized by the Python Software Foundation and has served the city’s community of Python developers since 2014. Through regular meetups, workshops, and events, it works to strengthen the region’s growing tech ecosystem. Ateneo de Davao served as venue partner and co-presenter of this year’s conference.
Strengthening ties with industry
The agreement supports the Computer Studies Cluster’s vision of connecting faculty, staff, and students with the information technology industry and the wider developer community. It opens opportunities for academic enrichment, mentoring, collaborative projects, certifications, and the continued development of faculty and students.
The signing builds on an existing relationship between the two groups. ADDVentures, the University’s startup incubator, is already among DurianPy’s community partners.

ACC Griffins Repeat as Palarong Atenista ‘26 Overall Champions

The Accountancy (ACC) Griffins were proclaimed overall champions of Palarong Atenista 2026 for the second straight year on 17 October at the 4th floor of Martin Hall, capping a month-long intramurals season among Ateneo de Davao University’s nine clusters.
The Business and Management (B&M) Vipers finished first runner-up, and the School of Engineering and Architecture (SEA) Tigers finished second runner-up. ACC also won in 2025, after SEA’s title in 2024.
The ACC Griffins reached the podium in 17 of 30 events, including six golds, in women’s basketball, men’s volleyball, women’s chess, men’s badminton singles, and both table tennis singles. Their other podium finishes included second place in cheerdance, mixed football, Tekken, and both swimming events.
Gold medals were spread widely, and no cluster took more than six. The Computer Studies (CS) Chameleons won five, including both esports titles, Valorant and Mobile Legends: Bang Bang. B&M, SEA, and the School of Nursing (SON) Panthers won four each, and the Social Sciences (SS) Dragons won three. Humanities and Letters (HUMLET), Natural Sciences and Mathematics (NSM), and School of Education (SOE) each took one, so all nine clusters finished with at least one title.
HUMLET, NSM, and SOE also fielded a combined team that won the Cheerdance Competition on opening night for the second year running. ACC placed second and B&M third.
Season theme: “Break The Limits”
This year’s games ran under the theme “Break the Limits.” According to the SAMAHAN Palarong Atenista team, which announced the branding on 3 September, the theme continues last year’s “To the Top!” and holds that reaching the top is a starting point, not an end. The organizers described it as a challenge to Ateneans to surpass past achievements and grow in character, resilience, and service as well as in athletic performance, in keeping with the Ignatian value of magis.
They said the theme also encourages athletes to use their growth to lift their teams and the wider Ateneo community. Under the university’s Fortiores 2030 Strategic Commitments, they added, the games aim to develop discerning and adaptive leaders, build inclusive communities, and celebrate Mindanawon talent and unity in diversity.
How the season unfolded
The season began on 7 September with a Pre-Opening Formation Assembly. The Opening Ceremony followed on 18 September with a Holy Mass, a parade of delegations from the Sunken Garden to Martin Hall, and the Lighting of the Cauldron by student-athletes from all nine clusters.
On 27 September, badminton and billiards moved off campus to the M2 Badminton Center and Cue Central Sports Bar and Lounge. ACC’s Kit Russtie Eling won men’s badminton singles, and CS’s Faith Golusinda edged SON’s Breeshia Angelie Tayong, 3-2, in a deciding fifth rack to take women’s billiards.

Gold medalists by cluster

Cluster
No. of Golds
Events

ACC
6
Women’s basketball; men’s volleyball; women’s chess; men’s badminton singles; women’s and men’s table tennis singles

CS
5
Valorant; MLBB; women’s swimming; women’s billiards; women’s badminton singles

B&M
4
Men’s basketball; women’s darts; men’s badminton doubles; women’s pickleball doubles

SEA
4
Women’s volleyball; women’s Scrabble; men’s table tennis doubles; men’s pickleball doubles

SON
4
Mixed football; Tekken; men’s darts; mixed pickleball

SS
3
Men’s swimming; men’s billiards; women’s badminton doubles

HUMLET
1
Men’s chess

NSM
1
Women’s table tennis doubles

SOE
1
Men’s Scrabble

HUMLET x NSM x SOE
1
Cheerdance

UFest ’26 Closes with Shared Event Wins, ACC Named Overall Champion

The Accountancy (ACC) cluster was crowned overall champion of KISLAP: The Ateneo UFest 2026 on 16 October 2026. The three-day festival of competition, performance, and celebration ended without any single cluster sweeping the events.
The Social Sciences (SS) cluster placed first runner-up overall, followed by the School of Nursing (SON) as second runner-up. ACC received the Fortes in Fide trophy, the festival’s champion’s trophy.
Held annually under a different theme, UFest celebrates the talents, wit, and creativity of the Ateneo student body. This year’s theme, KISLAP, takes its name from the Filipino word for a spark. Guided by the tagline “Lighting Up The Blue Skies,” the festival honored the brilliance within every Atenean, whether on the stage, on the court, in classrooms, behind production booths, or within organizing teams.
Day 1: A parade, a dance floor, and a night of live music
UFest opened on 14 October 2026 with the Grand Parade, as the university’s nine clusters marched to Martin Hall in their colors. The parade was organized by the Samahan ng mga Mag-aaral ng Pamantasang Ateneo de Davao (SAMAHAN) and the Council of Organizations of the Ateneo – Davao (COA-D).
The opening ceremony at Martin Hall began with Hiyawan, a non-competitive cluster cheer-off in which clusters bring their spirit to the floor. The School of Engineering and Architecture (SEA) was recognized as the liveliest cluster. The banner-raising for each cluster followed, putting the entries of Bandera, the banner-making competition, on display. The Business and Management (B&M) Vipers took Bandera’s counterpart on the dance floor, winning Galanté: The DanceSport Competition, a recent addition to the festival’s opening program that needs a large floor for its dancers. For this edition, Accountancy and Computer Studies (CS) pooled their dancers as the joint entry Chimera.
The night ended with Musikahan: Battle of the Bands, a ticketed showcase open to the Ateneo community, including bona fide higher education students, alumni, and Senior High School students. Seven entries performed before a cheering crowd. Humanities and Letters (HumLet), Natural Sciences and Mathematics (NSM), and the School of Education (SOE) joined forces as Pegasus. EA Octaves of SEA took the championship.
Lola Amour, the guest artist of Musikahan, closed the evening as the festival’s headliner. Their set drew the audience into a sing-along, turning the venue into a shared celebration of music.
Day 2: Stories on screen, stars on stage
The second day, 15 October 2026, was held at the Bapa Benny Tudtud Auditorium. The MUGNA Short Film Screening opened the day. MUGNA is the university’s short filmmaking contest, and the clusters’ entries played on the big screen. NSM won the MUGNA Short Film Awards.
The evening shifted to the Star Search Competition, a showcase of musical performance. Guest performing group KiKO: Il Poverello The Musical delivered a live rendition for the audience. The School of Nursing won this year’s Star Search.
UFest also gave clusters room to compete in the academic and creative arts. The Ignatian Cup is a debate competition traditionally organized by the Ateneo Debate Varsity to build a culture of critical thinking through debates and extemporaneous dialogue. Accountancy took this year’s title. Accountancy also won Dibuho, the graphics competition of the festival’s Creative Series, and the School of Education won Bandera.
Day 3: Honoring modern-day unsung heroes
The festival’s final day, 16 October 2026, was given to the Sayawtenista Competition and the awarding ceremony. Sayawtenista is the festival’s cluster dance competition. Its theme changes each year: the 2024 edition centered on key events in Philippine history, and the 2025 edition drew on folklore’s mythical creatures. This year, under the theme of modern-day unsung heroes, each cluster built its performance around an everyday occupation.
Accountancy portrayed miners, honoring the laborers who work beneath the surface to supply the materials society relies on. Pegasus took on jeepney drivers, paying tribute to those who carry thousands of Filipino commuters along their daily routes. SEA honored delivery riders, recognizing the workers who bring goods and food to people’s doors in all kinds of weather. Computer Studies spotlighted garbage collectors, whose early-morning work keeps neighborhoods clean and healthy.
Social Sciences depicted real-life artists, highlighting the creatives whose work gives voice to culture and community in an age of generative AI. The School of Nursing portrayed the very profession its students are training to join, honoring the frontliners who care for the sick. Business and Management paid tribute to fisherfolk, who spend long hours at sea so families can have food on their tables. The School of Nursing took the Sayawtenista championship.
The overall standings
After three days, the Accountancy cluster was declared overall champion, having won the Ignatian Cup and Dibuho, placed second in Bandera, and shared third place in Galanté as part of Chimera. The Social Sciences cluster, which reached the podium in six events without winning one, finished as first runner-up overall. The School of Nursing, champion in both Star Search and Sayawtenista, took second runner-up.
As the festival closed, UFest 2026 stood as a celebration of every spark, every story, and every Atenean, lighting up the blue skies.
Summary of results

Event
Champion
1st Runner-Up
2nd Runner-Up

Galanté: DanceSport
B&M
HumLet
Chimera (ACC x CS)

Musikahan: Battle of the Bands
SEA (EA Octaves)
SS (Dracarys)
SON (Helix)

MUGNA: Short Film
NSM
SS
CS

Star Search
SON
SEA
SS

Ignatian Cup
ACC
SS
HumLet

Dibuho: Graphics
ACC
CS
SOE

Bandera: Banner Making
SOE
ACC
SS

Sayawtenista
SON
SS
B&M

 

Loading

Pin It on Pinterest