PB Yapjoco appointed as EIC of CAFS student pub

BS Agriculture student Patrice Bianca Yapjoco was officially appointed as the editor-in-chief (EIC) of the  College of Agriculture and Food Science’ returning student publication as announced by the CAFS Student Council today, April 25.

Yapjoco, a former online editor in UPLB Perspective, was appointed as EIC through the approval of students in the CAFS Council of Student Leaders (CSL).

Before the institutionalization of UPLB as a constituent university of the UP system, the UP College of Agriculture (UPCA) in Los Banos had its official student publication, Aggie Green and Gold (AGG).

AGG was closed down due to the policies set under martial law as proclaimed by the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos. Its past editors are known for their resistance against the dictatorship and are remembered as heroes due to their body of work.

In the past decades, the then-College of Agriculture adopted the name AGG for their official college newsletter. The re-established CAFS student publication is set to adopt its official name after consultations and approval is made from the CAFS student body.

Some notable editors of AGG are Leticia Pascual and Christina Catalla, both editorial board members of the last year of AGG before its closure. They are declared as desaparecidos and are marked in the Bantayog ng mga Bayani.

50 years later, the revival of the student publication went underway through a search for the EIC where Yapjoco vied for the position.

The CAFS college publication EIC exam was undertaken under the direction of an exam ad hoc  committee composed of [P] EIC Sonya Castillo, CAFS-SC Chairperson Kyle Barber, Philippines – Southern Tagalog (CEGP-ST) coordinator Juan Sebastian Evangelista, CAFS Department of Agricultural Extension and Rural Sociology faculty members Dr. Rodomyr Datoon and Dr. Sherry Marasigan.

As the next step of the re-establishment process, the CAFS SC and Yapjoco said that they will send a letter to the CAFS administration to officially recognize Yapjoco as the EIC of the CAFS student publication.

Last month, 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.”

Preceding Yapjoco’s announcement as CAFS student publication EIC, former [P] editor Ian Raphael Lopez was also appointed as the EIC of the College of Development Communication student publication EIC last month.

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]