Two Laoag students advance to regional SM Super Spelling Bee

Two young spellers from Laoag City emerged as winners of the local elimination round of the SM Super Spelling Bee 2026, earning slots in the regional semi-finals later this month.

Jaimie Austinzen Chan, a Grade 5 pupil of Divine Word College of Laoag, and Aliyah Faryl Dela Cruz, a Grade 6 student of The Living Gates of Praise Christian School Inc., topped the elimination stage held at SM City Laoag on Saturday, October 3.

The contestants went through written and oral spelling rounds, with Chan and Dela Cruz eventually securing the top spots and advancing to the next stage of the competition.

They will represent the Laoag leg at the regional semi-finals scheduled on October 17 at SM City Rosales in Pangasinan, where they will compete against qualifiers from other elimination rounds in the region.

The regional qualifiers will be aiming for a place in the succeeding stages of the competition and a share of more than P5 million in prizes, including cash, SM Gift Certificates, college scholarships from National University, National Book Store gift cards, Apple devices from Power Mac Center, and Bahay Turo vouchers.

The competition is designed to test students’ spelling ability through successive written and oral rounds as participants advance toward the national stage.