The blacked-out stage slowly illuminated, and pink and white spotlights focused downstage on Mr. Bayanihan contestant Camden Sermona (11) and his partner, Aren Dizon (12). The excited silence of the audience was interrupted by a bass-heavy beat, then Sermona raised his mic. 

“We decided to do a rap battle since we both know a lot about each other, so it made sense to just do something where we could insult each other but also have a lot of fun together,” Sermona said. “That was my first time ever running for Mr. B. I knew I had a strength, which was my unique talent number, but I really didn’t expect to win. It was really shocking, but I was really proud of myself in the moment.” 

Sermona was crowned Mr. Bayanihan for the 2025-2026 school year, Friday. The title, coined “Mr. B” by the Bayanihan club, was earned in a two-hour long show where seven contestants performed a partner dance, competed in games, answered randomized questions, and demonstrated a special talent for the audience and three deciding judges. For Sermona, his talent was an original rap battle against his close friend, Dizon, where the two took turns verbally bashing each other’s clothing, intellect, and hobbies, while also gloating over themselves and staying in rhythm with the background track, generating “oohs” of shock followed by loud laughs from the audience. Sermona said that the talent wasn’t the pair’s initial plan, but they changed direction to stand out from other contestants, taking inspiration from Sermona’s dad. 

“We were originally gonna sing ‘Airplanes’ by B.o.B., but then Aren told me that everyone was doing a singing number, so we were like, ‘Let’s do something really fun,’” he said. “My dad is a really big hip hop fan, so I was like, ‘It’ll be fun when my dad sees this.’ He was in the crowd and I don’t think my parents knew I had that in me.”

Sermona’s performance came after spending two years taking the Filipino 1-8 classes, watching Mr. Bayanihan, and being part of Bayanihan’s Philippines Culture Night (PCN), another spring event the club holds to celebrate Filipino culture. He said that Mr. Bayanihan differed greatly from his participation in PCN, however, because he was truly put in the spotlight. Still, Sermona was prepared through his recent involvement in Westview Theatre Club, where he got used to taking more attention onstage during the One Acts earlier this school year.

“I actually joined theater this year in One Acts, so I felt a little bit more comfortable on the stage,” Sermona said. “When I did a different production, like PCN, it’s like you and a bunch of other people on the stage. You’re kind of one of many, but when you’re acting in something, more of the spotlight is more on you, and I got to be more comfortable doing that when I did One Acts. I feel like that helped me be comfortable being myself on the stage.”

He said that the welcoming community between Bayanihan and the Filipino classes was the first thing that drew him to running for Mr. B. Encouragement from his friends and a request for more contestants led him to finally commit to the decision. 

“I feel like the Filipino classes really give you a sense of community,” Sermona said. “I have an entire friend group from there that, even after the class ended, we still talk like every day. That sense of community really does cross over to Bayanihan. I love going to the event for Bayanihan. I remember I’ve been kind of wanting to do Mr. B for like the first two years of high school, but this year they specifically were really needing contestants and I was like ‘Wait, okay. I think this is my time to do it,’ so I signed up one night with my friend Aren. We met our freshman year in Filipino.”

Another contestant, Tristen Toledo (10), seconded this thought. He said that the club’s support, positivity, and collaboration to put together the show was the best part of the lead up to the show.

“It felt nice having a whole team to help prepare this big show and being a part of what feels like a family,” Toledo said. “The show was fun, but I would have to say the rehearsals the week of the show were still really fun. Even if in the first few days, we didn’t get that much done, it was still fun to do. And then the last day, we all came together and it worked out. Everyone was really proud.”

Toledo’s special talent was an original drumming piece on the tenor drums, played over “Forever Yours,” by Brent Faiyaz. He said that he also was searching for a unique talent to perform, and drumming—a skill he’s been developing since middle school—seemed like the perfect fit. 

“Since sixth grade, I was in band; originally, I was a trumpet player and I realized I was not good at that,” Toledo said. “I didn’t have the breath control or the accuracy for that, so I tried drumming after, and I stuck with it. Percussion’s not like any other instrument you see in band. Every other instrument in band is a wind or brass where you have to blow into the instrument, but with drumming there’s also a wide variety of things like a drum set, xylophone, marimba and keyboards. I like that variety of getting to be able to choose.”

When constructing his musical piece, Toledo found inspiration online. Then, he cultivated the rhythms to match the dynamics and lyrics of the music.

“While I was still looking for my talent, I was just scrolling on TikTok and I saw this one dude drumming to the same song I was, and I was like, ‘What if I do the same song?’” he said. “I tried to watch the video to look at his part, but I couldn’t process it, so I just decided to write up a whole thing on my own. I did want it to be musical and at least match with the main melodies and some of the lyrics and have those big impacts in the same sections as the song. I was afraid of it being bad because this is my first time playing on tenors, but I just kept going at it and eventually I came out with something that I was satisfied with and I was proud of.”

Like Sermona, this was Toledo’s first time running for Mr. Bayanihan. He said that the time he spent in the club helped him to open up more to new experiences—one of the biggest being this pageant. 

“Last year, I was just afraid to do new things,” he said. “But, being here longer helped me become more social and try new things. I was there last year watching from the audience, so I’ve been thinking, ‘It’d be cool to do that’ ever since.

Ultimately, Toledo said, all the contestants had fun participating in Mr. B. For Sermona, sharing the fun he had onstage was his main goal—and maybe, he said, it was the secret to success.

“Winning was not really something that I anticipated for myself,” Sermona said. “But, my main goal to do Mr. B was not to win. My main goal was to have fun. I didn’t really realize then that if you’re having fun, it translates onto the stage.”