Shortly after the House of Representatives approved the House Bill 6024, the College Editors Guild of the Philippines Davao Chapter organized a ‘Kapehan sa mga Guilders’ at the Salem Hall, UCCP Haran last August 26, 2017.
House Bill 6024 declares July 25 of every year as National Campus Press Freedom Day. The passage of this bill is a victory for the the campus press, as part of media which plays a vital role in promoting and protecting the freedom of the press of expression.
One of the authors of this bill, Hon. Carlos Ysagani Zarate of Bayan Muna Partylist gave an inspirational talk about his own experiences of being a student journalist in his time.
Also, after his talk, Hon Zarate answered questions of the student journos.
After which, a plenary session took place wherein student journalists shared the problems and struggles which their publications are currently facing. Some of those are concerns about their office facilities, conflict with the admin, and etc.
Furthermore, student journos, student councils, and youth orgs conducted a basic masses integration program dubbed as ‘Learning from the Lumad Bakwit School’ with the Lumad evacuees at the compound of Haran UCCP.
A candle lighting led by the CEGP and other youth organizations for Kian delos Santos and other victims of the EJK under the Duterte administration followed the BMI.
The program ended with a cultural solidarity night with the Lumad Evacuees in the compound. Teachers of the Lumads and Lumad students from Salugpongn ta Tanu Igkanogon, a lumad school in Talaingod, DavNor, joined and shared their stories.