The SU College of Mass Communication recently concluded the Inter-Org News Writing Competition, and the KMC Photowalk Contest that were sponsored by the Mass Com Batch of 1999.
Kean Andrei Bagaipo, a freshman representing the Kapunungan sa mga Mass Communicators, clinched the top spot in the news writing contest, earning a cash prize.
Fellow MassCom students Nathaniel Carampatana and Nicole Villarin secured the 2nd and 3rd places, respectively, and also earned cash prizes.
Their assignment for the contest was a speech story on the Canadian Embassy’s annual Marshall McLuhan forum held on March 7 which featured broadcast journalist the 2023 McLuhan Fellow, Karmina Constantino.
For the photowalk contest, Jasper Dominic Miranda who represented Ang Sandigan, won 1st place for the Street Photography category; Jozua Patalan also won 1st in the Environmental Portrait category.
The 2nd place winner for both categories was Jose Miguel Angeles. Third place winners were John Harold Eroja for Street Photography; and Nicole Visorro for the Environmental Portrait category.
According to Ted Regencia, an alumnus of SU Mass Com batch of 1999, his batch is marking their 25th year since they left college at Silliman. “What better way to mark this occasion than to organize an event that provides a venue for student writers and photographers to develop their skills, and spark their interest in journalism,” he said.
“We want the students to learn the craft of writing, do at least three first-person interviews, and produce quality work,” added Regencia, who went to Columbia University for his masters in Journalism after Silliman, and who has been writing for Al Jazeera News the past 12 years.
SU Masscom Dean Dr. Madeline Baguio-Quaimco said that two other writing contests were launched early this month: a feature writing contest on “A Day in the Life of a Worker in Dumaguete” (in time for the commemoration of Labor Day on May 1st); and an editorial writing contest on the topics “Charter Change” or “Impacts of El Niño”. Deadline for both categories is on Monday, April 8.
Regencia said that more members of SU Masscom Batch ‘99 are donating money for the cash prizes, as well as for other events they plan to sponsor this year. Masscom Batch ‘99 alumna Gee Rabor, managing director of Enhance Business Management & Control Corp., has committed to increase the cash prizes to P2,000 for 1st prize, P1,500 for 2nd prize, and P1,000 for 3rd prize for each category.
“At a time when the practice of journalism is under threat, we need more young people to be interested in writing,” noted Regencia. (Angelikka Remollo & Joriz Palermo)
