By Karren Jay G. Asgar
On November 28, 2024, The Central Echo, the official student media of CPU, earned 4th place as Best Tabloid at the College Press Conference and Awards (COPRE) 2024, with Mary Kyle Mendoza and Benedict Julz Plondaya also securing 4th place in Editorial Writing and Copyreading & Headline Writing, respectively.
On November 28, 2024, the official student media of Central Philippine University clinched 4th spot as Best Tabloid in the recent concluded College Press Conference and Awards (COPRE) 2024 by the Philippine Information Agency (PIA). Anchored on its theme “Bagong Pilipinas: New Breed of Developmental Communicators,” the event took place at the at the Iloilo Grand Hotel, Iloilo City.
Mary Kyle Mendoza clinched 4th place in Editorial Writing (English), while Benedict Julz Plondaya also secured 4th place in Copyreading and Headline Writing (English), both in the on-the-spot writing contest.
In an online interview with the Central Echo’s Editor-in-Chief, Ray Angelo Jagna-an, he shared that after the announcement of the editorial board, he was given only two weeks to accomplish all the outputs for said COPRE. Despite not knowing everyone deeply since half of the publication were all newbies, Ray and the team managed to combine their thoughts and form ideas for the articles and issues to be published.
“I am truly grateful for the commitment they have shown this year—they made this year’s COPRE much easier and so much fun. To the newbies, or the CE babies, despite only being in the publication for two months, I am beyond proud of what they have achieved and their dedication and involvement in writing and editing articles, which were tasks previously done only by the seniors,” he said.
The day-long conference included various writing contests, skills-based workshops, and recognition ceremonies for both high school and college student journalists.
“Perhaps this year is different compared to the past years, especially when it comes to the awards we’ve received and the process itself, but our worth as a publication is never defined by awards. It is defined by the stories we publish and the issues we tackle. We achieved something far greater — we told meaningful, powerful stories. We gave platforms to those whose voices often go unheard. And for that, I am endlessly proud of all that we have done,” he emphasized.
The College Press Conference and Awards is conducted annually by the PIA-VI to recognize the contribution of campus publications in its developmental communication initiatives.