Mariano Marcos
State University

MMSU LHS Batac, Laoag win top awards at UP Namnama tilt

By Niña Christelle Sumintac, STRATCOM Correspondent

The Mariano Marcos State University Laboratory High Schools (LHS) in Laoag and Batac won top awards at Sirib ken Saririt 2025, an academic and cultural competition organized by the University of the Philippines (UP) Namnama. The event was held from March 29 to 30 at the Philippine Science High School—Ilocos Region Campus in San Ildefonso, Ilocos Sur.

In the junior high school category, MMSU-LHS Batac clinched the overall championship after excelling in various competitions, including first-place finishes in speech choir and pagsusulat ng sanaysay (Filipino essay writing), along with podium finishes in English essay writing, oration, photojournalism, and the quiz show.

Meanwhile, MMSU-LHS Laoag secured the first runner-up title in the junior high school category. The laboratory school claimed the championship in the chorale competition and finished as first runner-up in the folk dance contest.

In the senior high school category, MMSU-LHS Batac placed second runner-up among competing schools. The laboratory school won first place in dagliang talumpati (Filipino impromptu speech) and third place in pagsusulat ng sanaysay.

UP Namnama, the first and oldest Ilokano organization at the country’s premier state university, annually hosts Sirib ken Saririt to showcase the academic and cultural talents of elementary and high school students from Northern Luzon, particularly from the provinces of Abra, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, La Union, and Benguet.