Keep going, 'The Carolinian'

Back at USC’s official and oldest (since 1930s) student publication—The Carolinian—we’re doing final layout touches of our upcoming summer issue. It’s going to be a literary portfolio of some sort that will try to showcase among others a taste of what Carolinians have when it comes to literary composition: short stories and poems in mediums of Cebuano, Filipino and English.

No big deal, really. But when I start to look back to the year that was for our team, I’d usually go melodramatic. The entire idea of seeing how the publication thrived despite deterring odds has not sunk in my system that until now, I’m still flabbergasted as to where all those energycame from for us to make it this far.

Yes, sure it required first of all the talent to write. But when you’re in a school media, where information can easily be suppressed, reinvented, retold in so many versions under the influence of the powerful, talent becomes only one of the many considerations. And to exist in a battle ground that has had an insanely complicated history—so complicated that we had to present our facts to the new generations of Carolinians carefully that they may understand the whole picture— made the conditions almost uninhabitable. Still, the year went by without anybody from the team waving the white flag.

At the end of summer, we would’ve already released a total of 25,000 combined copies of magazine and newspaper issues for the whole year. This is a major feat in campus journalism history of our school considering that we’ve never had a student publication for seven long years (a part of the complicated history) until The Carolinian was finally resurrected last year on account of the Office of Student Affairs’ endeavors.

To all USC students, this revival was indeed a celebration of freedom not only because they now finally get something to read after all the silence but more importantly, the chance to express their sentiments and opinions on pressing matters involving the student body and the school, per se.

It’s also worth mentioning that in support to The Carolinian’s revival, few of the best writers in Cebu sat in a panel to interview those who were shortlisted to compose our editorial board (the ongoing trial of CJ Corona reminds me of that panel interview). I can remember Radel Paredes, Atty. Ruphil Bañoc and Mike Acebedo Lopez pitching in their questions, some remarkably nose-bleeding, leaving each of the interviewees confusedly cold and hot but surely half-dead at the end of about 15 minutes!

Then again, the interview was only step one. We soon found ourselves facing the day-to-day challenges of mounting the publication from square one. And I’m proud to say that after all the hard work, most of which was not compensated in any way (and that’s completely fine), after all the standoff with people who never believed, even questioned, our existence, we are all here, close to the year’s finish line, kind of tired and exhausted but definitely fulfilled with how the Carolinian community has welcomed us as their new student publication.

So I now feel required to thank the brave men and women behind this success story, the unyielding souls that helped me make it possible to deliver one year of press freedom celebration at USC: LeoniloInot, Jr., Mariah Mahinay, JhaineLyka Villa, John Louie Fuentes, Melissa Malaga, Jodie Ferrer, Jodie Racho, Erglie Murillo, Nikka Ygot, JewelmaeSolas and Vania Ruiz.

And to our baby writers who just came in—John Louis Gazo, Ramona Rajaratnam, Joyce Maw, Meleria Mangaring and Marla So—in your pens is where the future of The Carolinian resides.

 Thanks finally to our publication adviser Miguel Antonio Garcia for showing support when it was needed and equally important, for constantly reminding us to maintain at all times our integrity as writers.

Congratulations and keep on writing, The Carolinian!