UPV Libertas

SAMAHAN KAMI SA PAGSURI AT PAGSIYASAT! 👁️📚

What do drag performances, TikTok tarot readings, celebrity culture, online fandoms, activism, digital spectacle, and viral media narratives reveal about Philippine society today? 🤳

Find out as the CMS 194 class presents SURISIYASAT: A Student Paper Presentation in Media Appreciation and Criticism this May 26, 2026 at CAS MILC from 1:30 PM to 5:00 PM! 🗓️✨

Through various frameworks and perspectives including Audience and Reception Theories, Discourse Analysis, Feminist Narratology, Globalization and Transnationalism, Ideological Analysis, Intertextuality and Paratextuality, New Media Theory, Political Economy, Representation Theory, Spectacle and Performance Paradigms, Stardom and Celebrity Theories, the class explores how media informs the ways we see ourselves and the world around us.

From the feeds we scroll to the stories we consume, SURISIYASAT invites everyone to look beyond the screen and critically engage with the media shaping our identities, beliefs, and everyday realities 🌐📱⚡

See you there!




📌 Note: The list of presentations in the publication material is arranged alphabetically and does not reflect the official presentation order.

HAPPENING NOW: Presenting their undergraduate research and creative works, 4th year students of the Communication and Media Studies program officially kick off “THESIS IT” today.

Held at CAS Room 201 and the MILC, the event features various student-led studies and creative outputs tackling communication, media, and social realities through research and multimedia presentations.

Organized by the UPV Division of Humanities, “THESIS IT” highlights the academic and creative journey of graduating CMS students as they communicate ideas for change, critical discourse, and community engagement.

The presentation runs until later in the afternoon.

𝗟𝗘𝗧’𝗦 𝗚𝗘𝗧 𝗣𝗜𝗧𝗖𝗛𝗜𝗡’ 👀✍️

Para sa mga naratibong dapat malaman ng mundo; para sa mga istorya na may ipinapaalala. Heto na ang umpisa ng ikalawang yugto, nagbabalik ang 𝗦𝗜𝗠𝗨𝗟𝗔𝗞𝗕𝗢 𝟐.𝟎!

Tunghayan ang pagbahagi ng mga estudyante ng CMS 174 - Screenwriting ng mga kwentong nakalubog sa bubog ng tao.

Kitakits tayo ngayong 1:00 PM, May 21 sa R202, CAS Building! Taralets, pitch po tayo! 🎬

𝗦𝗮𝗽𝗮𝗴𝗸𝗮𝘁 𝘀𝗮 𝗯𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘁 𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗺𝘂𝗹𝗮, 𝗺𝗮𝘆 𝗶𝘀𝗮𝗻𝗴 𝗸𝗮𝘁𝗼𝘁𝗼𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗴 𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗵𝗶𝗵𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗮𝘆 𝗺𝗮𝗶𝘀𝗮𝗽𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗸𝘂𝗹𝗮.

Order of Presentation:

1. Rosabel Maningding - Santa Urdes
2. Hannah Dorothy Pedriña - Si Araw, Si Lakbay, kag ang Bugay kang Baybay
3. Nash Schenzie Kei S. Morallos - hOLA!
4. Helter Shane Poblacion - Fair Chance
5. Angel May Blanco - Not My Oppa
6. Shayne Marie Cordero - Looking for Ride
7. Ressa Mae Palma - KLARK vs. THE ALIENS
8. Rei Gerard Nualda - Ang Damgo Kang Subay
9. Maria Joy Ortega - Soulmate.exe
10. Janella Marie Delos Santos - Father, Forgive Me For I Have Sinned
11. Amanda Isabel Contemplacion - Duha-Duha
12. Pia Alexie Nollan - The Water Is Fine
13. Ralf Jun Tilasa - Rigor Mortis
14. Eunice Marie Angelei Tayone - Shooting Stars
15. Jose Adrianne Moragas - Pinning Garcia
16. Ma. Roisa Joy Amonoy - Ilig

DEFEND PRESS FREEDOM! ✊

Today, May 3, 2026, marks World Press Freedom Day: a moment to recognize those who carry the weight of truth, from campus journalists to community reporters who serve at the frontlines of information.

Across the globe, press freedom is shrinking. The UNESCO World Trends Report on Freedom of Expression and Media Development (2022-2025), reports that freedom of expression has declined by around 10% since 2012. The International Federation of Journalists calls this trend “alarming,” warning that the scale of decline now echoes some of the most turbulent periods in modern history. These are not distant concerns, these shape the reality journalists face today.

This reality is reflected in the Philippines. The 2026 World Press Freedom Index by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) places the country 114th out of the 180 nations, a slight rise from 116th last year. Journalists in our country continue to face threats, harassment, and violence, making the Philippines one of the most dangerous places to practice the profession.

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) points out that the government and the authorities continue to weaponize “red-tagging” to silence critical voices. Just recently, RJ Ledesma a journalist at Altermidya Network died on the armed conflict in Toboso, Negros while reporting on how renewable energy projects affected displaced communities. Instead of recognizing his work as a journalist, he was labeled as a rebel and later claimed he was a combatant.

The case of Frenchie Mae Cumpio, a community journalist, further exposes how this pattern operates. After being red-tagged, she was arrested and now remains one of the country's longest-detained journalists on charges of financing terrorism. Press freedom advocates continue to challenge these accusations, pointing to how such cases intimidate and silence independent reporting. Meanwhile, authorities increasingly target media organisations themselves, filing charges and linking them to alleged terrorist activities.

According to the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) violence against media workers remains widespread and state repression remains the biggest threat to Philippine media freedom. NUJP has documented 242 incidents under the Marcos Jr. administration. This report includes 10 killings, 75 cases of surveillance and verbal harassment, 39 instances of red-tagging, 19 cyberattacks, 18 online attacks, 18 cases of judicial harassment, 14 libel or cyber libel charges, 14 physical assaults, 12 denials of coverage, 9 death threats, 7 arrests, 4 censorship cases, 2 theft incidents, and 1 closure order. Notably, 43% of these violations were attributed to government actors and state forces—figures that highlight the scale and persistence of threats facing the press.

Freedom of the press is the foundation of our democracy. Yet in the Philippines, it remains a challenging terrain for those who dare to speak truth to power. With these data and statistics, it becomes clearer that the impunity against journalists continues. When those in power silence the press, they deny the public access to truth. When journalists are attacked, citizens lose a vital defense against misinformation and abuse of power.

The UPV Libertas stands firm in condemning all forms of repression against the media. The press must continue to question, investigate, and hold power accountable. Today, we take a stand. We urge the public to defend the press and protect the right to information. A free press keeps democracy alive. Without it, truth is buried, and the people are left in the dark.





—
Sulat | Yz Pollicar
Mulat | Louise Postolero

Hindi kailanman nalalayo sa pakikibaka ng masa ang midya. Bilang mga tinig pangkampus, layunin ng mga estudyanteng mamamahayag na sumuong sa kasuluk-sulukan ng mga komunidad—upang ilantad ang katotohanan, isalaysay ang hinaing ng mamamayan, at iangat ang mga isyung madalas isantabi.

Kung kaya't ngayong , balikan kung paano nagkaisa ang mga mag-aaral at iba’t ibang sektor sa lansangan upang igiit ang ₱1200 na nakabubuhay na sahod at pagbabasura sa Oil Deregulation Law bilang bahagi ng paggunita sa Araw ng mga Manggagawa.

Binigyang-diin ng mga nagmartsa na hindi sapat ang kasalukuyang pasahod para mabuhay nang marangal. Sa gitna ng lumalalang krisis pang-ekonomiya, nananatiling kagyat ang panawagan para sa makataong sahod, pananagutan, at tunay na hustisyang panlipunan.

Kasabay ng panawagan para sa dagdag-sahod, binigyang-diin din ng protesta ang isyung kinakaharap ng mga bolantero sa Iloilo Terminal Market na apektado sa modernisasyon ng pampublikong pamilihan.

Umalingawngaw rin ang panawagan para sa hustisya at pananagutan kaugnay ng mga pagpaslang at paglabag sa karapatang pantao, kabilang ang kaso ni Josephine Porquia at ng Toboso 19.

Sa gitna ng lumalalang krisis pang-ekonomiya, muling ipinakita ng mamamayan na hindi titigil ang laban para sa karapatan, kabuhayan, at hustisyang panlipunan.




Sulat | Xavier Vejano
Mulat | Pia Alexie Nollan, Zhed Jayme, Jad Moragas

Sige, kumanta ka.

Gamit lamang ang kakayahang humawak ng mikropono, kumuha ng litrato, at magsagawa ng panayam, patuloy na isinusulong ng mga mamamahayag ang katotohanan—kahit pa kapalit nito ang kanilang kaligtasan.

Ngunit sa mundong may baril na nakatutok sa boses ng midya, ang reyalidad ay patuloy na itinatago sa lilim sa pamamagitan ng pananakot at walang tigil na panggigipit.

Ngayong , hindi sapat ang pag-alala. Kailangan ang paninindigan. Paninindigan na ang ating kalayaan ay nakaangkla sa kalayaan ng ating mga mamamahayag na makapagsulat, ulat, at mulat.

Wakasan ang red-tagging. Panagutin ang mga salarin. Ipaglaban ang kaligtasan ng mamamahayag.

Ang ugat. Ang puno’t dulo. Sa apat na taong nakaupo si Marcos Jr. sa kaniyang pwesto, mas lalong lumalim ang hukay na pinapasan ng mamamayan.




Mulat | Zhed Jayme

SWELDO SANG MAMUMUGON, PATAASON! ✊

Sa diwa ng , nagkakaisa ang mga manggagawa at mamamayan sa Iloilo para ipanawagan ang nakabubuhay na sahod.

Saklaw ang pagsigaw para sa hustisya sa mga biktima ng at sa gitna ng patuloy na pagtaas ng presyo ng bilihin at serbisyong panlipunan.

Iginiit lalo ng mga grupo kasama ang mga estudyante ng UP Visayas, ang agarang pagtaas ng minimum wage, pagwakas sa kontraktwalisasyon, at panagutin ang mga patakarang itinuturing pumapabor sa malalaking negosyo.

Mulat | Zhed Jayme