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PRIMUM The Official Student Publication of the University of Mindanao
Upholding knowledge through information
Webinars on Demand
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UM pubs convene in OLDSPEAK 2021 by Edmalyn R. Canton
TRUTH-BEARERS OF THE DIGITAL AGE. Student journalists from the different UM branches gathered around the same table to discuss the intricacies of journalism.
trengthening the jour nalistic skills of stu dent journalists, the University of Mindanao conducted OLDSPEAK 2021, an exclusive three-day online journalism webinar and workshop for official student publications from different UM branches, held virtually via Zoom on May 26-28, 2021. This webinar series was spearheaded by PRIMUM, the student publication of UM Davao Main. This year’s theme “Campus Journalism: Connecting Together as Bearers of Truth in the Digital Age” aims to bring together campus journal-
ists across different UM branches and harness their talents and skills in their respective fields in journalism through various plenary sessions and activities. Confirmed invited resource persons include Matikas Santos (Philstar.com) for Fact-checking and plagiarism in Journalism; Reuel John Lumawag (Sunstar Davao) for writing news and headlines; Mubarak M. Tahir (Speaker and Lecturer; MSU) for Feature writing; Manman Dejeto (Mindanews) for Photojournalism; and Christine Faith M. Avila (ADDU) for Conflict-Sentive Journalism. UM-Office of Student
Affairs (OSA) director and PRIMUM moderator Prof. Marianne P. Afrondoza made her opening remarks which reminded student journalists that this webinar takes an opportunity to ‘enhance the skills, broaden knowledge and awareness’ in the field of campus journalism. “This pandemic has indeed brought us together to be unified and to be cohesive so that we can accept the challenge of shifting to digital age, even though in the industry, there have been some other publication that are into social media mainstream and other media platforms, but for us UM, we need also to in-
kUMonek 2021 breaks the barrier, bridges the gap online by Vanessa Jean Bacus
GAME OF THRONES. Six houses vied to sit on the iron throne.
novate so that we can move forward and hence, to address the need of our studentry,” Afrondoza added. Estimated fifty (50) participants attended the said event from different UM branches namely The Collegium (UM Tagum), The Inquisitive Eye (UM Bansalan), UMGC Newsletter (UM Guianga), LUMINA (UM Panabo), The Maroon Ink (UM Ilang), The New Expose (UM Digos), and PRIMUM (UM-Davao). “It was truly an insightful and remarkable learning opportunity for all of us, not to mention that besides gaining new knowledge, we were able to gain memories with other
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he Council of Student Organization (UM CSO) hosted a twoweek online event called kUMonek 2021 from April 19 to May 3 with the theme of “Breaking the Barrier. Bridging the Gap”. Its goal is to strengthen the connection of UMians amidst the pandemic. The virtual event was divided into different virtual activities including Jeopardy Game; General Knowledge Showdown; Pinoy Henyo; Charades; Logo Making; Digital Poster Making; Creative Photography; Editorial Cartooning; My kUMonek Experience; Impromptu Speaking; Isang-Minutong Kwento; Comical Skit; and Your Face Sounds Familiar. The said competitions were battled by 6 Houses of accredited student organizations, namely, House Arryn, House Baratheon, House GreyJoy, House Lannister, House
student journalists across different UM branches,” Winkle Dumagil, participant, expressed. Sharing stories On the first day, Mr. Santos rendered a talk about fact-checking and plagiarism wherein he pointed out that committing plagiarism is a personal ethical choice and should be avoided. He also challenged the participants to be open-minded towards different perspectives and at the same time, encouraged them to always fact-check their sources. The next day, Mr. Tahir and Lumawag graced the break ...cont on Page 2
Martell, and Bronn’s House. Moreover, for the two weeks, intense competition hailed one owner of the thrown: the House of Baratheon, where they gained 415 Points, outgrowing the rest of the houses. The theme itself showcases how University of Mindanao students work hand in hand to mold themselves in exhibiting online activities with dedication, passion, and commitment to academe. It also emphasizes one of the core values of UM— teamwork that despite participants came from different student organizations and programs, they can set aside differences and collaborate with one another to succeed. Thus, the competition served as a reminder that nothing will stop students from achieving an event they wanted when teamwork and determination are pursued. After all, it would be ...cont. on Page 4
PRIMUM 02 | newsletter
UM wins 1st Runner up in the 6th Justitia Moot Court Competition
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he College of Law’s debate team, Spec trUM, emerged as the 1st runner-up at the recently concluded 6th Justitia Moot Court Competition last January 30, 2021. SpectrUM members and participants in the event were Krisha Faye Ambol as Overall Head for Training & Development; Quinn Therese Padilla as Secretariat and Logistics Team Head; Salvador Diana, Jr. and Emma Concepcion Nerves as oralists for the respondent; Maria Fatima Espera Aurelio and Marrie Angela Santiago as oralists for the applicants; Jennifer Dy, Marrie Angela Santiago, Jeffrey Christian Josol, and Krisha Faye Ambol as memorialists for the applicant; Blessy Joyce Lagarto, Emma Concepcion Nerves, Jefferson Nuñeza, and Salvador Diana, Jr. as memorialists from the respondent;
by Adrian Kenneth Nervida
Gamaliel Reforma as Assisting Researcher for the Applicant; and Katrina Beatrice Hao as Assisting Researcher for the Respondent. The event was organized by Chief Justice Claudio Teehankee Center for the Rule of Law and joined by several international law experts acting as judges. It involved seven other law schools in the country debating on a wide range of topics like International Humanitarian Law, ter rorism, and non-discrimination. Remarkably, Salvador Diana Jr. was awarded as the best oralist in the competition. “The Best Oralist award was not just for me; it’s for the team. I believed that I would not be able to deliver my speech that way without their support, advice, tips, research, trust, and prayers. Each of us really did contribute a piece of the puzzle so that we can create the whole picture of raising the UM
Flag to the top,” said Salvador. “To describe Moot Court Competitions as challenging would be an understatement. It’s a simulation of representing clients in a real-life international law case before the International Court of Justice at The Hague. We had to train all our speakers to perform their hearts out as though their life depended on it. SPECTRUM’s victory is a result of month-long exhausting all-nighters to write our Memorials and practice Oral arguments, despite our demanding classes and day jobs. But to be honest, it’s not the honor that got us jumping for joy, it’s able to pull it off despite all the stress and self-doubts, as well as personal and academic struggles,” said Krisha Faye Ambol, the Overall Head for Training & Development.
Champions clash in GAH!UM 2021 by Vanessa Antao
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AUNTLESS. SPORTS MANSHIP. VICTORY. These are the primary core of the most talked and participated online game tournament among the students of the University of Mindanao. The GAH!UM 2021 online competition, spearheaded by the University of Mindanao Council of College Student Government (UM-CCSG), tagged the holistic abilities of students’ collective composition not just academically but also in e-sports. As a matter of fact, the long period of online battle from April 1 to May 20 not in any degree bothered the participants. Everyone was utterly eager to
win until the last fight in order to bring the name of their department to the forefront. The said event was composed of seven online events: Call of Duty Mobile Tournament, Online Scrabble, Online Chess, UM Trivia Night, Dota 2, Valorant Tournament, and Mobile Legends Tournament. Surprisingly, two hundred twenty-four participants took part in the UM GAHUM event. Fortunately, four students from the College of Criminal Justice Education (CCJE) bagged the first place in the Call of Duty Mobile Tournament. College of Arts and Social Sciences Education (CASE) student, John Edward E. Cadiz, won the first place in the Online Scrabble tournament who has shown excellence in connecting the tiles. Meanwhile, the participants from the College of Architecture and Fine Arts Education (CAFAE) were ranked first in the Online Chess Tournament. Remarkably, five students from the College of Engineering Education (CEE) grabbed the first place in the University of Mindanao trivia night and Mobile Legend Competition exhibiting their expertise in analytical analysis. On the other hand, the College of Business Administration Education (CBAE) finished first in the
Dota 2 and Valorant Tournaments. These notable feats in online games competitions garnered by the students are enough proof that UMians are all great in burning solidarity and victory to each department. It was indeed worthwhile battles fought by persistent players. However, only one was destined to dominate and leave triumphant. For the overall result, the College of Engineering Education (CEE) won the overall championship, followed by College of Accounting Education (CAE), and College of Business Administration Education (CBAE), respectively. Generally, GAH!UM 2021 serves as a meaningful platform for students who are inclined to e-sports to show their skills alongside with exhibiting the core values of excellence and team work. Also, having the title of champion is meaningless and trivial if you put it on your head. Being a champion doesn’t happen overnight— failures, rejection, and lapses are the foundation to become champion. This event redefines what respect and sportsmanship mean. “Without the collab-
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out sessions with their expertise in writing News and Feature articles. According to Tahir, feature writing is not just about how we broadcast, it has a greater potential to socialize the readers to interpret and internalize of what we understand from the text and what we trying to make stories based on feature stories. “Dahil sinasabi nila na ito ay isang key function of human lives and add colors to educate, to entertain and illuminate,” Tahir said. On the other hand, Lumawag mentioned the hallmark of news writing which is to write with brevity and simplicity. “It should be understood by at least a Grade-6 student.” “Just make sure to get all sides of the story,” he added when asked about writing controversial issues. Moreover, Mr. Dejeto highlighted in his talk that truthful images communicate better. “Pag peke ang ginawa mong image, ramdam yan ng reader. So being ethical, you should produce truthful images so that the result ables you to communicate better.” He also magnified to the participants the importance of reading, exposing themselves to different work, and starting to develop their own style in photojournalism. Meanwhile, on Conflict-Sensitive Journalism (CSJ), resource speaker Avila reiterated that CSJ is not an easy task, it requires profound skills of research, facts, creativity, and verification on recovering conflicts. “Most of the people,
takot kayo magkamali, we learn from our mistakes, failure is not a failure unless you stop doing it. If you want really to become a journalist and you fail one time, it will not define who you are, you just need to practice, have a grit to write stories and to improve you writing skills,” Avila said. With this niche, OLDSPEAK 2021 serves as the legacy of different UM publications to gather around the same table annually. Hopefully, the pandemic will be over so that the journalism workshop and seminar will be conducted physically.
POOL OF EXPERTS. This year’s Oldpseak 2021 guest speakers who brought new insights and helped the participants revisit basic journalism fields and skills.
orative efforts of all the presidents from different colleges, this event would not be successful. There are bumps and challenges during the events, but that’s the beauty of organizing an event— unpredictable even if the event was planned seamlessly.” Sheldon Saluta, the UM-CCSG President, said in an interview.
HOT SHOTS FIRED. Sneek peek of the battles that transpired during GAHUM 2021. Photo Courtesy: UM-CCSG FB Page
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UM branches face off in virtual competitions by Jea Piencenaves
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n its goal to showcase competence, creativity, and camaraderie of the students, the University of Mindanao, in partnership with the Office of Student Affairs, organized a friendly competition among different branches, entitled the Interbranch Expression Skills Competition last April 30, 2021, via Facebook with the theme “Celebrating Cohesiveness and Responsiveness in Facing the Challenges amidst Pandemic”. Despite conducted online, the event was a successful celebration of magnificence of the students from different branches of the University of
Mindanao— UM Davao, UM Main, UM Digos, UM Bansalan, UM Guianga, UM Ilang, UM Tagum, UM Panabo, and UM Penaplata. It was the period of catering students’ countless talents, untold unique skills, and pronounced finesse drawn out of the various competitions framed. Moreover, the said event was composed of Academic and Talent competitions which set two different competitions for the participants from high school and college departments. Poem Writing and Essay Writing competitions were conducted to examine and hone thecreative and cognitive abilities of the students in writing.
Both competitions were split into English and Filipino categories. Meanwhile, Balak, Creative Face Shield, Creative Face Shield Photography, Vocal Solo Vocal Duet, Tiktok Skit, and Tiktok Dance were the highlights of the talent events which bestowed the participants to express and exhibit their talent and creative skills. Furthermore, every entry was uploaded on the OSA Facebook page wherein participants battled to garner Facebook reactions as part of the judging criteria. Below are the winners of the 2021 Inter-Branch Expression Skills Competition:
ACADEMIC COMPETITIONS COLLEGE CATEGORY Dennilyn Borres from UM Main Essay Writing in English
HIGH SCHOOL CATEGORY Joana Kaye Ybanez from UM Guianga Essay Writing in English
Mikaella Abe from UM Penaplata Essay Writing in Filipino
Kyla Cruspero from UM Guianga Essay Writing in Filipino
Merry Seballa from UM Penaplata Poem Writing in English
Merlie Daruca from UM Ilang Poem Writing in English
John Rich Gamas from UM Tagum Poem Writing in Filipino
John Lawrence from UM Bansalan Poem Writing in Filipino
TALENT COMPETITIONS COLLEGE CATEGORY Daisy Mae Pamaranco from UM Tagum Creative Face Shield
HIGH SCHOOL CATEGORY Shane Medidas from UM Ilang Creative Face Shield
Kenneth Macatopo from UM Tagum Creative Face Shield Photography
Hyjea Demorito from UM Tagum Creative Face Shield Photography
Marvie Bulay from UM Penaplata Vocal Solo
Rebecca Sayson from UM Digos Vocal Solo
Princess Ejusa, Mildred Sumalinog from UM Digos Vocal Duet
Dave Dupriz, Jenni Solera from UM Panabo Vocal Duet
Rannel Abellana from UM Main Balak
UNITY IN DI-VIRTUALLY. UM students from the different branches exhibited their creativity, talents, and skills virtually in the Interbranch Expressions Skills Competition last April 30. Photo Courtesy: UM-OSA FB Page
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he COVID-19 pan demic serves not as a hindrance for the UM College of Arts and Sciences Education (CASE)– Student Government to hold CASErunungan Webinar with the theme “Understanding the Digital Media and Mindful Use of Social Media Platforms” last April 10, 2021. The said webinar is one of the college crash course series which aims to promote adequate knowledge and proper use of modern mediums or methods of communication in the changing world. Students and moderators from the College of Arts Scienc-
Carl James Lorenzana, Rosalinda Calag, Marissa Peligrino from UM Tagum Tiktok Dance
Mica Caspe from UM Panabo Balak Angie Lee Verzano from UM Ilang Tiktok Skit
Evidently, the online activities rendered and organized were appreciated and enjoyed by the students. This period of time reminds us to take a breather, advocate for excellence, and demonstrate the core values of being a UMian as we march towards the light with prominence and prowess.
CASE sheds virtual knowledge by Albert Cabatlao Jr.
es Education (CASE) programs were invited to participate. The distance was no problem to carry out the webinar; with the help of the Google Meet platform, the webinar was well organized, reaching out to the participants coming from the different provinces and regions in Mindanao. Experts and prominent resource speakers of Media and Education rendered their talk in a series. Prof. Pio M. Antonio, a faculty member of UM-CASE, presented the first topic delving
with writing strategies for social media contents. Also, Mr. Antonio made way for the attendees to revisit basic grammar that would aid and harness their skills in writing. Meanwhile, Mr. Reuel John Lumawag, the Editor-in-chief of Sunstar Davao, discussed the challenges and opportunities in Digital Media. He highlighted the pros and cons of the said channel as well as leaving pertinent answers to the questions thrown at him. Mr. Oliver Ross Rivera,
on the other hand, gave an impressive talk about the Government Information and the Mass Media which hooked the participants to form queries. Furthermore, Ms. Rhona May Acedo, the Social Media Manager of Kinabuhing Mindanawon Project tackled the last topic dealing with essential tips on being a responsible social media user. She further emphasized how important it is to be social media and information literate in this period of time. Moreover, the organiz-
ers prepared interactive online games wherein attendees received load as their prize for answering the quiz after the discussions. According to Seiryl Dumagonot, an AB Communication student who participated the webinar, “It was truly a one-of-a-kind experience. All the topics that had been discussed were totally essential for us not just as students but also as social media users.” At the end, the College of Arts in Sciences Education (CASE), imprints a legacy and aims to pursue what they have started as advocate of media and information literacy and responsible use of social media.
PRIMUM 04 | newsletter
Communication Students showcase their skills and talents in KUMbati 2021 by Kryzl Laureanne M. Romaldon
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hunder of roars and cheers can be heard virtually at Zoom, and Facebook Live conference platform as the five born feisty and intelligent communication Theorist leaders from the Houses of Shannon, Fisher, Gerbner, Bandura, and Weaver compete in various competitions in KUMbati 2021 held on April 22-24. With the theme, “Embracing CSJ Values through Restorative Practices and Exploring Complexities in Communication,” communication EVENTS Voice Over Digital Cartooning Photo Essay Caption Writing for Ads Headline Writing for Broadcast Radio Broadcasting
students coming from different branches of UM showcased their talents and skills in Radio Broadcasting, Voice Over, Digital Cartooning, Photo Essay, Caption Writing for Ads, and Headline Writing for Broadcast. The first day of the event was a simple opening program where the teams, competitions, and board of judges were introduced. The following day is the proper contest day, where the contestants were divided into breakout rooms depending on their event, and the TEAMS Team Shannon Team Bandura Team Weaver Team Gerbner Team Weaver Team Weaver
last day was the awarding day. Their outputs and performances were judged by Mr. Derf Maiz, Ms. Jaira Mondez, Mr. Jason Amisola, Mr. Kenneth Mangaya-ay, and Mr. Reuel John Lumawag. The winners of every contest were proclaimed after two days, and the result of the competition was posted. Below are the winners of each contest:
cont. from Page 1 kUMonek 2021 impossible to achieve the desired outcome if not for the people who initiated and exerted effort to organize the event. Adrian Saturinas, the CSO President, expressed his heartfelt gratitude to UM-OSA for their unending support and commitment to continuous student-engagement, the 36 student organizations and working committees for their strong leadership, and to the participants for exuding their talents, skills, and intellect in the competitions conducted.
“Indeed, we have proven that even a pandemic won’t stop us from connecting to one another and achieve greater things,” Saturinas added. To sum up, kUMonek 2021 is a concrete example of how students and teachers thrive on making e-learning fun, challenging, and engaging by showcasing each student’s talents and skills and learning the importance of communication and collaboration.
PARTICIPANTS Napoleon Olaso Satoshi Valero Dominic Mamayabay Ressty Jan Sabales Donna Stephanie Claire Ag-cambot David Garcia, Diane Villegas, Johnamae Diana, Kristy Mabuhay, Shiny Bullecer, Princess Barboso and Mark Cervantes
UM PRIMUM Editorial Staff joins Pressplay 2021 by Marcel Marie T. Dagohoy
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midst the pandem ic, the UM PRIMUM Editorial Staff still collaboratively joined the online annual student journalism convention called PressPlay2021 last April 21 to 24 this year via Zoom. It was organized by The LaSallian of De La Salle, in partnership with The GUIDON, the official campus publication of Ateneo de Manila University. PressPlay 2021 is accessible to school publications from schools, colleges, and universities around the country who have been invited. It aims to redefine what it means to work as a journalist. It aspires to re-energize the responsibility of news organizations as the fourth estate in holding authority accountable. With this, it ought to help to shape the next generation of truth-tellers with critical thinking.
Jan Emmanuel Alonzo, the Editor in Chief of The LaSallian, said, “Currently, we are situated in an ongoing paradigm shift in reportage; let us locate ourselves in it and determine the future direction of this field.” The convention administered interactive breakout seminars and activities offered by media, experts, and professionals on themes ranging from news, features, science, sports writing, photojournalism, cartooning, and graphic design to student journalists. Before PressPlay officially ends the four-day convention, the participants are given a chance to meet and greet other student journalists across the country. It is also completed by providing awards to the different school publications for their outstanding submission in the PressPlay Awards.
The best news section goes to the Benildean Press Corps; the best features section, the best sports section, and the best opinion section belong to the USA Publications. The best science and technology section was awarded to The Thirteenth Scholars; the PauliWorld received the best art or cartoons page; the best photo page or section goes to The Benildean Press Corps. And the best design and layout were granted to The Central Echo. As the program finally comes to a close, The LaSallian and the Guidon, who provide an immense effort for the event’s success, are looking forward to the next student journalism convention as victorious as it used to be.
THIS CONNECTED. Despite conducted online, the connection and teamwork of UMians in producing artistic outputs and riveting performances as entries for kUMonek 2021 were strongly felt and shown. Photo Courtesy: UM-CSO FB Page
PLAY BUTTON PRESSED. UM-PRIMUM, together with other student publications across the Philippines came together to bring light to certain issues concerning journalism as well as harnessing the skills in various journalism fields