The University of Northern Philippines – University Research and Development Office (UNP-URDO) led the “Training the Trainers in Campus Journalism: Research-Based Upskilling Program” on March 22, 2025, at the UNP-Tadena Hall.

With the theme “Strengthening the Role of School Paper Advisers in Delivering Quality Campus Journalism,” this program aimed to enhance the journalistic writing skills of elementary school paper advisers in the division of Vigan City.

The program started with the remarks of Dr. Jenny Lou Taan, Assistant Dean, Graduate Studies at the College of Teacher Education. The presentation of the program’s rationale and the participants followed, as presented by Ms. Marjorie Janel Paguirigan, faculty-researcher. She emphasized the importance of a research-based program in identifying and addressing the specific needs of the participants before implementing the program.

Dr. Erwin Cadorna, UNP President, commended the participating advisers for their dedication to guiding young journalists. He highlighted their significant role in advancing campus journalism and promoting critical thinking and ethical reporting.

In the morning session, Dr. Irene Abigail Guerrero, officer-in-charge of the University Information Office, served as a resource speaker on key topics such as journalism ethics, the role of grammar in journalism, and the essentials of news writing. In the afternoon, Mr. Noji Bajet, Board Director for Fiction of the Thomasian Writers Guild at the University of Santo Tomas, delivered a lecture on editorial writing and feature writing. Each session was followed by hands-on workshops for participants.

“We are very grateful for the opportunity to be invited by the university. Today’s session deepened our knowledge and skills in journalism. This will truly help us mentor young writers in our schools. We are excited for the second session,” said Maribel Quibilan, one of the participants.

The program will continue March 29, 2025, with topics such as copyreading, sports writing, and page design.

Article and photo by Marjorie Janel Paguirigan and Edmar Paguirigan.