Ian Lopez appointed as first EIC of CDC student pub

BS Development Communication student Ian Raphael Lopez is officially the first editor-in-chief of the College of Development Communication’s (CDC) official student publication.

This was officiated by the CDC Student Council in the college’s Council of Student Leaders (CSL) earlier today, March 28.

Lopez, a former layout editor and Perspective Live executive director in UPLB Perspective, was appointed as EIC through the approval of students in the CSL.

This was after the former [P] editor successfully took the CDC student publication EIC examination as the sole applicant for the post.

The CDC college publication EIC exam was co-chaired by [P] EIC Sonya Castillo and CDC-SC Chairperson Seth Pagulayan. Other members of the ad-hoc EIC exam committee include: College Editors Guild of the Philippines – Southern Tagalog (CEGP-ST) coordinator Juan Sebastian Evangelista and CDC faculty members Miguel Victor Durian and Guien Eidrefson Garma.

The results of the exam were presented to the CDC student body through the CDC CSL where the students upheld the results.

Pagulayan reports that he will send a letter to the CDC administration to officially recognize Lopez as the first EIC of the CDC student publication.

Lopez, a former BA Communication Arts student, is now an incoming junior student under the BS Development Communication program.

In his interview for the EIC examination, Lopez said that if declared as the EIC, he will first process the groundwork and documents necessary to ensure that the CDC student publication will be prepared to perform its mandate.
The yet-to-be-named CDC student publication will officially adopt its name once the CDC CSL approves name suggestions from the student body or from the incumbent EIC.

This was not the first time that an attempt to create a student publication for the CDC was undertaken. In 2020, a call for EIC for the CDC student publication was announced, however no student sent a letter of intent to vie for the EIC post. The process was cut short due to the nationwide lockdown imposed by the government due to the pandemic.

Years prior, CDC also had the now-defunct student newsletters CDC Channel and Catalyst which were handled by members of the council.

Last week, the 5th Convention of the Student Legislative Chamber adopted SLC Resolution 2022-04, which instructs college student councils to “exert all effort to establish and re-establish student publications in the respective colleges of UPLB.”

Currently, student councils are in partnership with [P] and CEGP to establish independent and official student publications in the different colleges of UPLB. The roadmap for the establishment was prepared by [P] through a memorandum that was sent to SCs early this year. In their concept note, Castillo ensured that the formation of the student publications are student-led and will lead to its institutional independence from other student institutions and from the administration.

Under RA 9500 section 21b, the UP Charter of 2008 states that: “Subject to due and comprehensive consultation with the students, there shall be a student publication established in every constituent unit and college to be funded by student fees. Freedom of expression and autonomy in all matters of editorial and fiscal policy shall be guaranteed especially in the selection of its editors and staff.” [P]