Being Twenty-Something:


They call it the "Quarter-life Crisis." It is
when you stop going along with the crowd and
start realizing that there are a lot of things
about yourself that you didn't know and may not
like. You start feeling insecure and wonder
where you will be in a year or two, but then get
hot and scared because you barely know where you
are now.

You start realizing that people are selfish and
that, maybe, those friends that you thought you
were so close to aren't exactly the greatest
people you have ever met and the people you have
lost touch with are some of the most important
ones. What you do not realize is that they are
realizing that too and are not really cold or
catty or mean or insincere, but that they are as
confused as you are.

You look at your job. It is not even close to
what you thought you would be doing or maybe you
are looking for one and realizing that you are
going to have to start at the bottom and are
scared. You miss the comforts of college, of
groups, of socializing with the same people on a
constant basis. But then you realize that maybe
they weren't so great after all.

You are beginning to understand yourself and
what you want and do not want. Your opinions
have gotten stronger. You see what others are
doing and find yourself judging a bit more than
usual because suddenly you realize that you have
certain boundaries in your life and add things
to your list of what is acceptable and what is
not. You are insecure and then secure. You
laugh and cry with the greatest force of your
life. You feel alone and scared and confused.
Suddenly change is the enemy and you cry and
cling on to the past with dear life but soon
realize that the past is drifting further and
further away and there is nothing to do but stay
where you are or move forward. The stupid ones
plateau, the smart ones rise.

You get your heart broken and wonder how someone
you loved could do such damage to you or you lay
in bed and wonder why you can't meet anyone
decent enough to get to know better. You love
someone but maybe love someone else, too and
cannot figure out why you are doing this because
you are not a bad person. One night stands and
random hook ups start to look cheap and getting
wasted and acting like an idiot starts to look
pathetic. You go through the same emotions and
questions over and over and talk with your
friends about the same topics because you cannot
seem to make a decision.

You wonder what the hell is wrong with you. You
worry about loans and money and the future and
making a life for yourself and while winning the
race would be great, right now you'd just like
to be a contender!

We are making a lot of mistakes, but helping one
another learn from them. We will piss one
another off, and laugh at the end of a
conversation that started with angry words. We
are a group that talks behind the backs of the
same people we call to meet up with on a Friday
night, but we are sorry about it and we know
that we were just being insecure like they have
been.

What you may not realize is that everyone
reading this relates to it and we are all in
this together. We are in our best of times and
our worst of times, trying as hard as we can to
figure this whole thing out. We are friends, and
in 10 years we will be friends who have figured
out where we fit in in this world.



"Cras amet qui nunquam amavit; Quique amavit,
cras amet"

May he love tomorrow he who has never loved
before.

IN FOCUS

University of the Philippines Diliman: A training ground for the nation's future leaders


By MERLINA R. HERNANDO Photos reprinted from Sites and Symbols UP Diliman Landmarks, 2000


More than the prestige it carries and the solid academic foundation it provides, a school should mold a student to be the person he or she wants to be. It should also open their eyes to the realities and issues of the country while giving them the sense of freedom and independence that nobody can put a price tag on. Aside from being a measuring stick, so to speak, in the educational system that inculcates to its students the tenets of academic excellence, a university should also serve as a chief repository of the nation's cultural heritage and traditions. With all of these qualifications, UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES DILIMAN– where almost every student dreams of making it to–remains to be a center for meaningful learning experience while continuously being the principal contributor to the world's stock of knowledge.


HUMBLE BEGINNINGS

The University of the Philippines was the first, and for a long time until World War II, the only state university in the Philippines. It became the model for undergraduate instruction, the center for graduate education and research and a major source of leadership and expertise for public service after its creation on June 1908 by the virtue of Act No. 1870 or the University Charter. The Act mandated UP to provide advance instruction in literature, philosophy, the sciences and the arts so as to give professional and technical training to every qualified student. The campus was established in a 10-hectare lot in Padre Faura in Manila.


UP started operations with the School (now College) of Fine Arts and the College of Agriculture in 1909 and the transfer of the Philippine Medical School (now College of Medicine) in 1910. For the academic year 1910-1911, UP had seven units: College of Liberal Arts, College of Medicine and Surgery, College of Law, College of Veterinary Medicine, College of Agriculture, College of Engineering, and School of Fine Arts.


In February 1949, the life of the University of the Philippines Diliman began when a motorcade–with the Oblation, the bronzed symbol of the University of the Philippines–made its way from Padre Faura to its 493-hectare campus in cogon-strewn expanse Quezon City, signifying the university's transfer from its original site.


Fulfilling its role as an educator to the nation, UP Diliman became the flagship university of the UP System, making it the administrative seat of the system, as well as an autonomous university in its own right.


By 1997, UP Diliman had 18,935 students handled by 2,441 faculty members. Students enjoy the low board and lodging rates at 10 residence halls and the extensive collection of publications, including those in multimedia format, in its libraries. UP Diliman has also kept up with the information-driven culture all over the globe through the installation of a fiber-optic network linking the various colleges in the campus, or DilNet, which in turn serves as UP's gateway to the global network of the Internet.


As UP looks forward to the centenary of its foundation in the year 2008, UP Diliman affirms its own commitment to modernizing its facilities and services and by identifying specific growth areas. With the strengthening of its research base, the construction of several facilities, the development of various colleges into National Centers of Excellence, and an outpouring of investments into modernization, UP Diliman is poised to reassert its place among the leading universities in the Asia-Pacific region.

ACADEMIC PROGRAMS

Having the largest concentration of the most promising young minds and the largest number of student population among the campuses of the UP System, Diliman's current curricular offerings mount up to 311, broken down per level as follows: 21 certificate programs, 97 in the baccalaureate level, 25 in the post-baccalaureate/pre-master's level, 117 master's and 51 in the doctorate levels.


Being the first in the country to evolve into a system of constituent universities, the university offers a comprehensive array of disciplines in the baccalaureate and post-baccalaureate levels that cover all facets of human behavior and significant aspects of human development wherein the academic fragment is divided into four clusters under which programs are offered: The ARTS AND HUMANITIES CLUSTER, which includes the College of Arts & Letters, College of Fine Arts, College of Music, College of Mass Communication, and the College of Human Kinetics; the SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY CLUSTER which tucks the College of Architecture, College of Engineering, College of Science, College of Home Economics, Institute of Library Science, School of Statistics, and Technology Management Center under its belt; the SOCIAL SCIENCE AND LAW CLUSTER which enhances the students capabilities under the Asian Center, College of Education, College of Social Sciences and Philosophy, College of Law, Institute of Islamic Studies, College of Social Work and Community Development, and Archaeological Studies Program; the MANAGEMENT AND ECONOMIC CLUSTER which embraces the College of Business Administration, School of Economics, National College of Public Administration and Governance, School of Urban and Regional Planning, School of Labor and Industrial Relations, and Asian Institute of Tourism.


UP is not only the home of diverse colleges, it also runs several centers of research, many of which have been declared by the Commission on Higher Education as National Centers of Excellence. With all these, Rhoda Mauricio, a fresh graduate of BS Business Administration shares, “I have learned what true education, critical thinking and competence are and I got it best only from UP.”

TRADITIONS AND INNOVATIONS

Aside from the much-anticipated event, the ‘Oblation Run,’ in UP every year, probably, one unique thing about UP Diliman and UP as a whole is that it continues to be a battleground of ideas for people are free to speak out their views and opinions without getting berated or penalized for saying what they believe in. “Although, I think other universities also allows that sense of freedom, but I think we are the most tolerant,” divulges Chancellor Emerlinda Roman.


UPD is the biggest constituent university in terms of the number of degree-granting academic units, student population, faculty complement, and library resources. Having a relatively big campus, the Chancellor explains, “Over the years, we have expanded in terms of the number of academic programs that we have, number of students, number of faculty and the professors,” she says. The institution has also expanded in terms of personnel and physical plant. When before, their perspective was more Filipino and inward-looking, now, they are part of the international academic community. “We also have gone with the trend and made sure to keep in touch with the latest development, specially in education.”


Being one of the foremost universities with so many linkages in the global contexts, so many changes have occurred as a result of the Administration's efforts to keep up with the pace outside. In the last five years, one of those major changes under the administration of UP president Francisco Nemenzo was when the chancellors of the different campuses decided to move in one direction. “In the university, there is this constant effort to review our academic programs to make sure that we keep in pace with the developments and to make sure that we continue to be relevant,” says Roman.


In the last three years, the more significant development in-so-far as the university's academic programs are concerned is the revitalization of the general education program. “The GE Program is a set of prescribed courses that seeks to cultivate in the students a capacity for independent, critical and creative thinking that usually consist of courses taken in the first two years of a student's college life,” the Chancellor explains. While before, the university's general education courses were structured such that students were required to take a set of courses, it was revitalized without necessarily giving up on the original objectives of the GE program. “We also strengthened the GE program as we reiterate our objectives. We have also revised our courses to make them more interesting and more meaningful for the students and so allowing them to choose courses that appeal to them or considering relevant and challenging to their intellectual interests within the prescribed domains,” she enthuses. Now, the students have the freedom to choose which courses they want to take, making the university the first institution of higher learning in the country to conceptualize, implement and institutionalize a General Education Program as the liberal arts component of its undergraduate curriculum through the Revitalized General Education Program (RGEP).


Another innovation is the computerization of the registration wherein students could enlist via the internet. Still, according to Roman, one of the advantages of this is that students are provided course descriptions and outlines to give them an idea on what the course is all about. “After giving them the freedom to choose, they have to have as much information as they can get so that they can decide on which course will be useful and interesting for them,” she remarks.


Another marked improvement is the construction and maintenance of many of the university's facilities and laboratories. “We have invested on these because if we want to maintain the quality education, we also have to supplement facilities for better working conditions,” she explains. Another thing that makes UPD ahead of other campuses is their capability to institute 67 new general education courses in the last two years.


Having the passion to experiment on new ideas, trying out new schemes and carrying out bold concepts, the Chancellor concludes, “We continue to modernize, we continue to promote this university as a university that is open and transparent, where people are free to debate and are entitled to their own freedom.”

CALENDAR OF ACTIVITIES AY 2004 - 05

FIRST SEMESTER

Regular Registration June 1-4
Start of classes June 7
Foundation Day June 18
Bisita Kultura Tour July/August 2005
U.P. College Admission August 7-8
Test (UPCAT)


SECOND SEMESTER


Regular Registration November 3-8,
Start of classes November 9
Lighting of Christmas Lights First Week of December
at the Quezon Hall
Bisita Kultura Tour Second Week of December
Lantern Parade December 16
U. P. Diliman Month February 2005
U. P. Diliman Week 3rd Week of February
General Commencement April 24
Exercises


OTHER ACTIVITIES
Film Showing as the Film Institute
Visual Arts Exhibits and Corredor Gallery at the Vargas Museum
Dulaang UP Play Productions at the Guerrero Theater
Thursday Evening Concerts at eth Abelardo Hall, College of Music

From: Manila Bulletin Website www.mb.com.ph

Greetings for TAKINGITGLOBAL PHILIPPINES

I am Pocholo Gonzales, TakingITGlobal Philippines, I would like to inform you that I'll be attending the International Youth Empowerment Conference.

I am looking forward of meeting you to talk about TIG and more partnership with HongKong and Philippines.

Please visit my profile at:
http://hongkong.takingitglobal.org/community/profile.html?memberid=592

I'll be in City University Student Residence at Cornwall Street from May 16 to 22.

Hope to see you there and to hear from you soon. Thank you very much.

In youth service,
--
POCHOLO D. GONZALES
Founding President, TINIG KABATAAN (VOICE OF THE YOUTH NETWORK)
Youth Ambassador, YouthActionNet (International Youth Foundation)
Country Representative, TakingITGlobal.Org
Philippines National Coordinator, Global Youth Action Network
International Youth Advisory Board Member, World Congress of Youth
Philippine Coordinator, World Youth Peace Summit
Technical Assistant, Office of the Presidential Assistant for Youth Affairs - Office of the President of the Philippines
+63-9179602413

http://www.voty.org

pocholo@youthlink.org
pocholo@takingitglobal.org
pocholo@voty.org

Tik Tak VOTE!


By MERLINA R. HERNANDO


Amidst the conundrum, the emotional stirrings and the nonstop bickering of politicians due to the upcoming elections, one sector is left pondering in the middle – the youth. Unlike before, when the issue is whether 'to vote or not to vote,' nowadays, the dilemma who to vote for in the upcoming national polls is one of the biggest challenges they are facing.


In order to rescue the youth from the quicksand of predicaments, the Network of Campus Journalists of the Philippines (NCJP) recently launched a project billed, Tik Tak VOTE in the different schools, colleges and universities in the country. Tik Tak VOTE – the very first involvement of the group in national elections – is a 30-day 2004 National Elections Countdown that aims to involve the youth and maximize their participation in the imminent elections.


“We consider this as the contribution of our team in nation-building,” explains NCJP founding chairman and CEO Lloyd Luna.


Campus journalists have always been considered as the closest source of second-hand information, aside from the media, when it comes to current events. More often than not, students draw ideas from the articles written by their fellow students in their publications when it comes to choosing their candidates. Seeing this pivotal role being played by campus journalists, the program was conceived to empower them to be capable in looking after the entire election process vigilantly.


Guided by a time frame, the strategic election watch will train the campus journalists how to influence people especially the youth to safeguard democracy during the election period. Still, according to Luna, as far as their vision to be the center for effective publication management and campus development is concerned, “We believe that there is a need for us to put hands on how the verdict of the Filipino people would most probably go to. And our participation would somewhat assist the voters on how are they're going to choose the next leaders of the country.”

WAGING WAR AGAINST
POLITICAL BICKERING

Being a skin-deep theory of style, political bickering is one of the factors that influences a voter a lot. “As much as possible, we want to influence the youth to vote wisely,” Luna enthuses. The need to provide a venue where students could interact and discuss their opinions regarding the elections stemmed from the fact that most of the time, the worst officials are elected by good citizens who do not exercise their right to vote.


Having a sense of commitment to develop critical thinking of the Filipino youth through effective campus media and in order to save them from being an easy target of most politicians, NCJP conceptualized the program. The planning and the preparation of the program started last March.

“I gave [the student-editors] the concept and the idea. I also suggested tips on how to pursue the project but the implementation and the drafting of the program itself is not really from me. The student-writers in each respective student publication will act as organizers and they are free to draft their own programs and to decide in everything,” he divulges.


The projects, whose meetings were held virtually over the Internet, is composed of three phases that includes the organizing of local teams (mostly student journalists) creating subgroups to help the monitoring of the program, the planning and the local launching. Next is the implementation of planned programs and partnering with different groups like GO's and NGO's. Last is the post-evaluation of the project and the drafting of possible next actions that follows up the project.


“Basically, what we really want to accomplish is to motivate and encourage the youth–especially the student writers–to participate in programs like these. We really want to help the community in every single possible way that we could this coming elections by making the youth understand the electoral processes and for them to use their right to vote intelligently.”


Tik Tak VOTE is also purposed to conduct written and/or oral voter's education with campus journalists acting as discussants and facilitators. Likewise, it endeavors to publish media materials for press releases, news, features and opinion regarding the preparation of the candidates of their parties.


“We also organize youth groups per locality or specific area that shall voluntarily observe the pre-election, election and post-election processes. We also coordinate with parallel groups that push for clean and honest elections,” shares the CEO.


The project also thrusts to electronically conduct virtual lectures on elections through the internet on regular basis and to organize debate sessions, essay writing, press conferences and other activities that are youthful in nature.


The responsibilities and accountabilities of the electorate are to be discussed in the Voters' Awareness; the projects and programs that a candidate will be implementing and their strategies to combat societal problems are tackled in the symposium on candidates' platforms. Online lectures on Voter's Education Advocacy were published regularly in the Internet for 30 days. Voter's Education Ads on print and on air, essay writing contests on Election Advocacies, seminars on Election Volunteering and how the youth can physically take part of the election processes.


Believing that the coming elections will determine the future of the nation, the organizers hope that the youth will be willing to fully participate in the project .

YOUTH AS A BEACON OF HOPE

Believing that young campus journalists play a very important role as principal promoters of responsible elections, the very important task of organizing the biggest gathering was placed on the shoulders of Isyrose Surriga, NCR chair of NCJP and the assistant features editor of Ugnayan, the official publication of the Recognized Student Organizations of Adamson University.


Originally, the members of the publication planned to have a youth camp but due to lack of funds, they weren't able to pursue it. Instead of doing nothing during the vacation, the group decided to adopt the proposal.


“The first thing I noticed after checking out the activity proposals posted on the Net was the proposal about Tik Tak Vote. After reading it, I realized that since it is very timely, interesting and easy to organize, we decided to implement it in Adamson,” she explains. Tik Tak VOTE! will be held in Adamson's OZ AVR today, May 7. The organizers are the staff of the different student publications nationwide and members of NCJP from different chapters. The participants will be a mixture of the students, the faculty, administrators of schools and some out-of-school youth.


“Magkakaroon po tayo ng sarili nating elections to get the pulse of the youth kung sinu-sino ang gusto nila iluklok sa pwesto na sisimulan sa Adamson at sa iba pang lugar,” says Surriga.


The mock elections with sample ballots, counting of votes and the survey were framed from May 3 to May 7. A total of 200 audiences are expected to attend the event. The student-editors from the different schools are the ones who will conduct the lectures and the symposia. “That's one way of empowering them. What we do here is to delegate participants coming from their schools and let them organize and make their own program because they know what is suitable for each community,” she enthuses. Among the participating student newspapers are: Ugnayan of Adamson University, Ang Pahayagang Plaridel of De La Salle University-Manila, The Perpetualite of University of Perpetual Help Rizal, Lundayan of Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Pasig, Heraldo Filipino of De La Salle University-Dasmariñas, The Guardian of Rizal Technological University, The Defender of Bataan Polytechnic State College, Ang Dalubhasa of City College of Manila, Hudyat of New Era University, The Philippine Artisan of Technological University of the Philippines, University of the Assumption-Pampanga, The USI Façade of Naga City, The Pacesetter of Malolos, The Soil Tiller of San Ildefonso, Bulacan, The Baliuag Chronicle of Baliuag, Bulacan, The Weekly Sillimanian of Dumaguete, Aylap and Mindanao Varsitarian of Mindanao.


When asked what made her decide to pursue the projects, Surriga reveals, “Honestly, I'm not a registered voter. I think this is the least I could do to help the youth to decide and to participate in this very crucial undertaking.”


The program also aims to train the student-writers to have the capability and the knowledge to explain topics about the elections to common people through a proper and ethical way of speaking and writing and since there is no pre-registration and everybody is invited to come and attend the lectures and discussions.


Byron Vidal, one of the coordinators of the student organizations from City College of Manila believes that the youth should support the program. “I am here because I believe that the future of the nation lies on the elections and this should not concern the youth but older people as well.”

VOTING THE RIGHT VOTE

Tik tak VOTE not only aims to educate the youth but also to motivate the people to vote for the most intelligent, honest, and conscientious men eligible to office, irrespective of former party opinions.


“We are not doing this for any other reason but to fulfill our social responsibilities and since this is the first time that we concluded this kind of project, we are so excited about it and we are looking forward to more developments with regards to empowering the youth by encouraging them to create programs that would benefit their own communities,” Luna remarks.


The right to vote for representatives is the primary right by which other rights are protected and reflected. To take away this right is to reduce a man to slavery, for slavery consists in being subject to the will of another, and he that has not a role in the election of representatives is in this case.


“We encourage the Filipino youth to really use their right, give their dynamism and mobility towards a genuine societal change not only being in the four corners of their educational establishment but also in the four corners of the archipelago,” he ends.


With this unfaltering faith of the youth, it is hoped that results of the elections would be able to carve out of the mountain of despair a stone of replenished hope. And with this courage shown by the young architects of the republic, it is hoped that the upcoming polls would be able to transform the rattling disputes of the nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood and unity.

VOTY-NCJP, other youth groups join 2004 Global Youth Service DayPlan to reach 24M youth more bared
By LLOYD LUNA / Founding Chairman and CEO
Network of Campus Journalists of the Philippines

"Global Youth Service Day (GYSD) 2004 mobilizes youth in over 150 countries to rebuild communities, breakdown ethnic barriers and promote peace through community services.”

From Kuwait to the Philippines to Uganda, from Bolivia to India to Spain, millions of youth in over 150 countries around the world are organizing community service projects and special events to celebrate the 5th Annual Global Youth Service Day (GYSD), April 16-18.

It is in this event that the Voice of the Youth Network (VOTY), the Network of Campus Journalists of the Philippines (NCJP), Office of the Presidential Assistant for Youth Affairs (OPAYA) and other youth groups in the country have expressed their full support and commitment and bared plans and strategies to involve more than 24 million Filipino Youth throughout the archipelago.

Young people around the world are responding to terrorism, war and ethnic violence by focusing their efforts to eradicate hunger and HIV/AIDS, to address education problems in their communities, and to resolve conflicts. Young volunteers are mobilizing en masse to mark this year's GYSD.

In the Philippines, VOTY-NCJP and OPAYA organized simultaneous youth events in different strategic regions and major cities. NCJP, the fastest growing organization of campus journalists in the Philippines, organized local events in different in different regions particularly in the Visayas and Mindanao under the SUMMER 2004. Under this summer program were “Pasyal”, “Biyahe”, SOAR 2004, Editors Exchange, and Breakfast Forum among others. These programs aimed at inculcating moral values in journalism that involves more than 300 student publication nationwide. They coordinated on various training on modern mass media, trainings on journalism, team building activities, leadership congress and regional writing competitions. NCJP national president Patrick Asiñero says, “We are putting into writing different events that has something to do with GYSD because for us, documenting the celebration itself is very vital in also promoting the active participation of the Filipino Youth.”

NCJP Founding Chairman and CEO Lloyd A. Luna initiated and implemented Tik Tak VOTE, the National Elections Countdown this year that involved thousands of student publication readers in the country.

VOTY spearheaded Virtual and local Youth Action Forum in different chapters nationwide. The program focuses on peace and development. Under this are voter's education, crime prevention, anti-terrorism law in the Philippines and other issues. VOTY Founder Pocholo Gonzales stressed, “The Filipino Youth continuously and passionately inspiring, informing and involving their fellow youth, through GYSD, where young people represent a dynamic force of creativity and change.” He adds that GYSD creates a remarkable opportunity to exemplify the power of a generation uniting its efforts to build a better Philippines and a better world.

The Voice of the Youth Network took forefront on the echo forum on World Youth Peace Summit held in Bangkok, Thailand in February. Gonzales pointed out that the celebration of GYSD this year is another call for the youth sector to consider and give utmost consideration to the peace and order situation not only in the Philippines but in the whole world as well.

Meanwhile, OPAYA implemented countrywide launching of Youth Volunteers for Strong Republic (YV4SR). This event was held in to gather support from outstanding youth leaders in the countryside to espouse Her Excellency Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s vision of establishing a Strong Republic. Presidential Daughter Luli Arroyo supported the program implementation and delivered inspirational speeches during regional gatherings.

Program and organizing covered national backbone that included Cordillera Administrative Region, Cagayan Valley, Baguio City, Regions III and IV, Cebu City, Davao City, Zamboanga City and Gen. Santos City. These events also made sure that the Muslims Communities and other ethnic groups are roofed properly.

Coinciding these youth organizing was promotion of TakingITGlobal.Org and Global Youth Action Network. Through oral and internet-based discussions, the Filipino Youth was challenged to create local and international connections, inspire other youth leaders, groom their leadership potentials and involved over 24 million youth in the Philippines.

Since Global Youth Service Day (GYSD) is a public education campaign that highlights the amazing contributions made by youth year-round to their communities through volunteering, OPAYA, headed by Presidential Assistant Dennis L. Cunanan, believed that this is a great contribution of the Philippines in creating positive change in the world.

This overall celebration envisioned to foster youth participation and involvement and that millions of young people in countries everywhere will highlight and carry out thousands of community improvement projects. Catherine Kamping, Asia Pacific Coordinator of GYSD implied: “This day paved way for local, national, and international organizations to build the capacity of an international network and organizations that promote youth participation, service and learning; to educate the public, the media, and policy-makers about the year-round contributions of young people as community leaders around the world; to mobilize youth and adults to meet the needs of their comities through volunteering; and to learn and share effective practices in youth service, youth voice, and civic engagement in the world today.”

Other groups who participated in the celebration were Youth for Sustainable Development, Young Volunteers for Sustainable Development, Youth Volunteers for a Strong Republic, Philippine Youth Employment Network, Inc., Batangas Youth Organization and Family Planning Organization of the Philippines. SAVE ME Movement, Office of the Presidential Assistant for Youth Affairs, Tuklas Katutubo, UNESCO Club, PNVSCA, Remedios Foundation's Youth Zone Project also help for the preparation.

Among the participating student newspapers are: Ugnayan of Adamson University, Ang Pahayagang Plaridel of De La Salle University-Manila, The Perpetualite of University of Perpetual Help Rizal, Lundayan of Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Pasig, Heraldo Filipino of De La Salle University-Dasmariñas, The Guardian of Rizal Technological University, The Defender of Bataan Polytechnic State College, Ang Dalubhasa of City College of Manila, Hudyat of New Era University, The Philippine Artisan of Technological University of the Philippines, University of the Assumption-Pampanga, The USI Façade of Naga City, The Pacesetter of Malolos, The Soil Tiller of San Ildefonso, Bulacan, The Baliuag Chronicle of Baliuag, Bulacan, The Weekly Sillimanian of Dumaguete, Aylap and Mindanao Varsitarian of Mindanao.