Three public schools in Bohol are set to represent the Philippines at the World Robot Olympiad (WRO) International Final 2026, bringing young Boholano robotics innovators to one of the world’s major student STEM competitions.
The Philippine delegation from Bohol will include teams from JAPeR Memorial High School in Sagbayan, San Jose National High School in Talibon and Ubay National Science High School in Ubay.
The international final will be held on Dec. 8-10, 2026, in San Juan, Puerto Rico, where national champion teams from around the world will gather to compete, exchange ideas and showcase their robotics skills.
The official WRO organizers expect thousands of young innovators, coaches, judges, education partners and guests to participate.
The theme for the 2026 season is “Robots Meet Culture,” challenging participants to explore how robotics can help shape, protect, preserve and promote art, history, traditions and cultural heritage.
According to the WRO, the theme recognizes the growing role of robots as creative partners and tools for preserving cultural history.
The challenges include applications involving music and entertainment, mosaic preservation, protection of artworks and the restoration of ancestral technology.
The competition is designed not only to test students’ ability to build and program robots but also their creativity, critical thinking, problem-solving, teamwork and engineering skills.
Teams participating in the WRO season may compete in categories such as RoboMission, Future Innovators, Future Engineers and RoboSports, depending on their qualification.
For the Future Innovators category, for example, the 2026 theme encourages students to develop robotic solutions related to protecting and sharing cultural heritage, human-robot-AI co-creation, and using robots to experience art and history.
The Department of Education (DepEd) Bohol has requested financial assistance from the Sangguniang Panlalawigan Committee on Education, chaired by Board Member Nathaniel Binlod, to help defray the students’ international travel and participation expenses.
Binlod backed the request and commended the students for reaching the international level of competition.
Citing the limited funds available at the provincial Capitol, Binlod said he would push for a resolution asking the DepEd secretary to consider allocating additional funds for Filipino students who qualify for international competitions, particularly in robotics and other science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) events.
He said the opportunity is rare for Bohol’s public school students, who face financial and logistical challenges when competing outside the country.
Beyond the competition itself, Binlod said the students’ participation would give them an opportunity to learn from young innovators from other countries and expose them to emerging technologies and international standards in robotics.
He also said their participation could help put Bohol’s public education system on the international map.
The WRO, founded in 2004, has grown into a global robotics education movement with teams from more than 100 countries taking part in its annual season.
Students design, build and program robots to solve challenges based on the year’s theme, culminating in the International Final.
The 2026 final will be hosted at the Puerto Rico Convention Center in San Juan, with the program also featuring opening, friendship and closing ceremonies and an EdTech and Robotics Expo connecting students and educators with technology companies, universities and other organizations.
For the three Bohol schools, the trip to Puerto Rico will represent more than an international robotics competition. It will be an opportunity for public school students from the province to demonstrate that talent in science, engineering and innovation can emerge from classrooms far beyond the country’s major urban centers.