UNO-R’s Tolentine Star hosts 8th Lubas

University of Negros Occidental – Recoletos (UNO-R) became the venue for the 8th LUBAS Campus Press Convention held last November 3-6 at the Presidents’ Hall. In cooperation with the College Editors’ Guild of the Philippines (CEGP) Negros Chapter, Tolentine Star, the University’s official student publication, hosted the event with the theme, “Sharpening Smiles, Honing Skills: Rejuvenating the Drive of Student Journalists for Social Change and Campus Press Freedom.”

The four-day convention offered discussions on important social issues relevant to the student press and up-to-date trends in campus journalism practices, so that the scope of awareness among campus journalists in the Visayas can be improved and reinforced.

Aside from UNO-R, the participating schools included University of the Philippines Visayas Tacloban College (UPVTC), West Visayas State University – Lambunao Campus, Riverside College, University of the Eastern Philippines, Colegio San Agustin – Bacolod, Southwestern University, and Binalbagan Catholic College.

The delegates participated in the Basic Masses Integration (BMI), teambuilding, various classroom discussions, seminar-workshops, talk forums and other activities that encouraged development and solidarity among campus publications.

Among the invited speakers were broadcaster Julius Mariveles, photojournalist Owen Bayog, student leader Einstein Recedes, BAYAN-Negros secretary general Christian Tuayon and other members of the local media and civic organizations.

During the awarding ceremonies, Best in Magazine and Gawad Rachelle Mae Palang went to UNO-R’s “Tolentine Star” while Best in Tabloid went to UPVTC’s “UP Vista”.

“I am happy for the success of the 8th Lubas due to the support of the Guilders from various member publications in the Visayas,” spoke Robert Adrian Aurelio, chairpersonfor CEGP Negros.

“We shall continue the struggle of upholding campus press freedom. Through our solidarity as student journalists, we shall achieve the genuine justice and change we aspire for our society,” Aurelio added.

“Lubas”, the name of the event came from the Visayan word for “core”, indicating that the core of every writer must be the people.

(in photo are the participants and the staff of Tolentine Star)