The crowd at National Schools Press Conference (NSPC) in Ormoc City buzzed with the usual excitement, student journalists clutching notebooks, teachers guiding their delegates, and media personalities weaving through the sea of eager faces.
Among them was Atom Araullo, whose presence alone was enough to send ripples of anticipation across the venue.
Atom was in Ormoc not just as a familiar face on television, but as an inspiration, someone students looked up to as they shaped their own voices in journalism.
But amid the formalities of the NSPC, an unexpected, almost cinematic moment unfolded, one that had nothing to do with press briefings or panel talks.
Standing a few steps away was a man whose name drew instant laughter: “Itom Araullo.”
The similarity was impossible to ignore. Atom paused, smiled, and walked closer, clearly amused and half-laughing, as if confirming the coincidence himself.
The two shook hands, and just like that, the atmosphere shifted from formal to warmly familiar.
“Itom,” also known as Adrian Justo, a resident of Ormoc, carried his name with quiet pride. He shared how people often react with surprise when they hear it, though meeting Atom himself was something he never expected.
For him, it was a once-in-a-lifetime moment. For the onlookers, it was pure delight.
The conversation between the two unfolded naturally, no scripts, no cameras dictating the mood. They talked about where they came from, their families, and how names, simple as they are, can carry stories of identity.
Around them, students watched not just a journalist, but a person, someone capable of laughing at a coincidence and embracing it fully.
In a gathering meant to celebrate journalism, the encounter became its own kind of story. It wasn’t about headlines or breaking news, but about connection. The kind that reminds people why stories matter in the first place.
For the young writers at NSPC, sometimes, the most memorable stories aren’t the ones you plan to write. Sometimes, they’re the ones that find you, like meeting someone who shares your name, in a city far from home, on a day already filled with meaning.
And in that fleeting moment in Ormoc, “Atom” and “Itom” became more than just names, they became a story worth telling.
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