After successful legs in Visayas and Mindanao that gathered more than 8,000 attendees, the GMA 'Masterclass’ — an award-winning talk initiative that organizes dialogues with students nationwide— is off to the Luzon edition of its Eleksyon 2025: Dapat Totoo Series.
The Luzon leg will visit Dagupan City, Pangasinan (March 6) and Lipa City, Batangas (March 7), both headlined by GMA Integrated News journalists Howie Severino, Joseph Morong, Aileen Perez, and Bernice Sibucao, as well as former Miss Philippines PH titleholder Bea Gomez and Synergy sports broadcaster Martin Antonio.
POWERHOUSE LINEUP OF SPEAKERS
The Luzon leg features a powerhouse roster of seasoned and award-winning journalists and personalities.
Leading the fray is veteran broadcast journalist and documentary icon Howie Severino, who presently serves as the Editor-at-Large of GMA News Online (GNO). He is also best known for being one of the pillars of the documentary show i-Witness.
Severino is already a ‘Masterclass’ favorite, having conducted various talks for past iterations of the event including the 2022 ‘Icons Series’ held in Naga City, as well as the ‘Cebu Press Freedom Week Special’ in 2023.
Also taking part is seasoned broadcast journalist Joseph Morong, a political reporter at GMA Integrated News with more than two decades of experience as a broadcast journalist.
Morong has covered a plethora of national issues critical to the lives of Filipinos, such as the controversial pork barrel scam in 2012, the historic impeachment trial of former Chief Justice Renato Corona in 2011, and the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, for which he won a Crisis Coverage Award from the Paragala Awards.
GMA Integrated News’ Assistant Vice President for Social Media Aileen Rae Perez, an award-winning journalist and digital media leader, is also set to deliver a talk.
Perez, the Deputy Head for GMA Integrated News’ Social Media team that handles a huge network of digital journalists and social media producers, leads the production of relevant news content 24/7 on all digital platforms.
Bernice Sibucao, a GMA Integrated News senior manager and the Deputy Head of the Digital Strategy and Innovation Lab (DIGILAB), also joins the strong lineup.
Sibucao has been at the forefront of GMA Integrated News’ multimedia production, having served as one of GMA News and Public Affairs’ pioneering social media producers.
She has worked on countless coverages producing online exclusive content, and developed various digital exclusive programs, such as the GMA News Feed, Need to Know, and The Mangahas Interviews.
In 2024, Sibucao was among the 20 journalism leaders and innovators selected for the fifth Executive Program in News Innovation and Leadership of the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at the City University of New York.
Long-time sports commentator and analyst Martin 'Coach Hammer' Antonio will also speak at the event.
More than just being an NCAA sports broadcasting mainstay, he is your resident go-to sports guy whose expertise stems from both being a former NCAA athlete for the San Beda Red Lions and an all-sports strength and conditioning coach.
He was part of a number of sports shows and podcasts produced by the Kapuso network, such as the Game On! Podcast.
Antonio has been part of all the previous legs of the GMA Masterclass: Eleksyon 2025 Dapat Totoo Series, having traveled with the team during their Visayas and Mindanao events.
Last but not the least, the Masterclass will also feature former Miss Universe Philippines title holder and Sparkle artist Bea Gomez.
A proud Cebuana, Gomez graduated with a degree in Mass Communications at the University of San Jose Recoletos in Cebu City, before pursuing a career in beauty pageantry. She was crowned Miss Universe in 2021, and represented the country in Israel where she entered the finals round and finished as a Top 5 finalist.
ELEKSYON 2025: DAPAT TOTOO Series
The 2025 polls-centered ‘Masterclass’ is a project of GMA Regional TV and Synergy, in partnership with GMA Integrated News– all under the visionary leadership of SVP and Head of GMA Integrated News, Regional TV and Synergy Oliver Victor B. Amoroso.
The main thrust of the talk series is engaging the youth and highlighting their critical engagement with news and public affairs as the nation welcomes new leaders come the May 2025 midterm polls.
Prior to the Luzon leg, the Eleksyon 2025: Dapat Totoo Series had already travelled to Visayas and Mindanao for respective legs in those regions.
Last February, 'GMA Masterclass: Eleksyon 2025 Dapat Totoo Series' went to the University of San Agustin in Iloilo City (February 17), University of St. La Salle in Bacolod City (February 18), University of San Carlos in Cebu City (February 19), and Silliman University in Dumaguete City (February 20).
The Mindanao leg was held at Notre Dame of Dadiangas University, General Santos City (January 22), Holy Cross of Davao College, Davao City (January 23), Liceo De Cagayan University, Cagayan de Oro City (January 24), and Central Mindanao University, Bukidnon (January 25).
The Luzon leg will be quickly followed by the NCR leg, taking place on March 12 at the Jose Rizal University Centennial Auditorium in Mandaluyong City.
