Cebu student writers, leaders dine together for solidarity
By Menger John Pino

Cebu City Councilor urges student writers and leaders to maintain solidarity amidst recent crisis confronting campus press.

Sporting formal attires, student writers and council members from the different colleges of Cebu city reunited at the glamorous Majestic restaurant on the evening of September 6, 2003.

Several students from the University of the Philippines (USP), University of San Jose Recoletos (USJR), concerned teachers, guild’s alumni, and public officials. Student publications present were Today’s CAROLINIAN, The Voice of Talamban, Tug-ani (University of the Philippines - Lahug), The Quill (Southwestern University), Technologian (Cebu Institute of Technology), Lakandiwa (University of Cebu), Stethoscope (Cebu Doctor’s College), also attended the one-night engagement.

The gathering formally started off with a hearty dinner at around 7 pm. This was followed by the invocation led by Ms. Achinette Joy Villamor, editor-in-chief of the Today’s CAROLINIAN and recent Ramon Magsaysay Essay Writing Visayas winner. Meanwhile, Kara Mae Noveda, editor-in-chief of UP Tug-ani, and Jamaal James Calipayan, TC features editor, emceed the program.

During the discussion, Loyd Wilson Sato, the current Vice-President of CEGP, spoke about the guild’s unbending mission to serve the students as well as the Filipino people. He also chronicled the harassments received by the TC editors from claimed military operatives. He mentioned that such abominable acts reflect how paranoid the Philippine government is in hunting down terrorist elements.

Guest speaker Cebu city councilor Hon. Aristotle Batuhan, seemed to agree with Sato’s claim of government’s obsession, as he recalled the August days of coup attempts, which he was wrongly accused as one of the supporters of the rebel junior officers. He also stressed that indeed the government has gone haywire over terrorism, and even innocent writers are not spared from the inquisition.

In his speech, he also inspired budding student journalists about their mission, that outside the four-walls of academe is a bigger society to be involved with. “What happens within the four-walls of the university are but mere reflections of what happens in the greater society,” he stressed. He also encouraged the guild to maintain solidarity among members amidst the recent crisis.