The competition welcomed entries from Wika 1 students, who showcased regional languages- Tagalog, Waray, and Cebuano- through the tanaga, a pre-colonial Filipino poetic form composed of four lines with seven syllables each and a single end rhyme. UP Tacloban faculty members and administrative staff also participated through the Open Category.

 

Culminating the week-long celebration, participants recited their original tanaga during the Pagbigkas/Pagtanghal open stage held at the Leyte Samar Heritage Center on 28 August 2026. The literary event concluded with the announcement of winners across the different categories. Nathaniel Miralles secured First Place in the Waray category, followed by Charlote May B. Paet in Second Place and Ralph Michael F. Macabenta in Third Place.In the Cebuano category, Shawn James E. Veloso emerged as the First Place winner, while Queen Isabelle Dequino placed Second and Bennet Rois Sasan placed Third. For the Tagalog category, Grosz Zechariah A. Gacusan won First Place, followed by Hannah Sabite in Second Place and Ma. Jen Bartolay in Third Place. Meanwhile, Eura Shyne Pacheco was named the winner of the Open Category for Other Regional Languages for her tanaga written in the Minasbate language.

 

“Mga Tanaga ng Hagkis at Hiraya” is one of UP Tacloban’s initiatives to foster appreciation, promotion, and enrichment of literary writing in Filipino and regional languages, while celebrating the country’s rich linguistic and cultural heritage.