By: Justine Loreto and Ivana Janlee Otoc

Five members of Xavier University’s Development Communication Society joined the first Communication and Media Studies Conference 2023 of the Philippine Association of Communication Educators (PACE) to present one of XU DevCom’s project which is ‘Lansad: Kinse-nyera’ on October 20-21 at Lyceum Philippine University – Cavite.

The event was attended by second-year students, Val Mathew Gabutan (2nd Year Representative), Leigh Kyla Rondina (Vice President), Ivana Janlee Otoc (Writers Pool Associate Head), Gredel Taguran (Auditor), and Justine Loreto (Public Relations Officer). 

“It was such a pleasure to witness the nation-wide gathering of communication educators, practitioners, and students,” Val Mathew Gabutan, project lead for XU DevCom Soc, said. 

Over 300 delegates from 40 Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) participated in the student camp, including colleges such as UP Los Baños, Ateneo de Zamboanga University, University of Science and Technology of Southern Philippines, and more.

“Seeing people from different institutions in the country passionately showcase their projects and best practices makes me very proud as a person in the field of communication. The future is bright for Philippine communications. Looking forward to what PACE has in store in the years to come!” Gabutan added. 

On the first day, Dr. Dominic Ligot, Co-Founder of Analytics Associations of the Philippines began a plenary session discussing the ethics, followed by Dr. Maarit Jaakkola Co-Director of Nordicom, who shared his insights about Maximalism Journalism via Zoom. 

Meanwhile, one of the pioneers of PACE, Dr. Crispin Maslog, launched the PACE History Book which contains the history and the people working behind PACE, including the founder of Development Communication, Nora Quebral.

The participants were divided into respective camps to pitch their projects. Camp 1 for Communication and Development Communication, Camp 2 for Journalism and Broadcasting, Camp 3 for Marketing, PR, and Advertising, Camp 4 for Film, Photography, Arts and Social Sciences, and Camp 5 for other communication-related activities.

The XU DevCom students showcased ‘Lansad: Kinse-nyera’ as the best practice of the Development Communication Department. In a 5-minute presentation, the team discussed the background of Lansad, its comeback after the pandemic, its impact on the community and students, and the production of a Coffee Table Book. They also shared their hopes and the possibility of a wide-scale range of Lansad in the future.

Dr. Ernest Collo, Jr., the coach of Camp 1, added comments and suggestions for improving the project. He also praised all the projects presented in Camp 1, including the ‘Lansad: Kinse-nyera.’

On the second day, the remaining camps began to exhibit their projects and thesis for their pitching and coaching session.

Meanwhile, Rechelle Ann Tolinero-Barraquias, Chairperson of the XU Development Communication Department, was also inducted as the Public Relations Officer of PACE during the closing program, with the keynote speaker, Dr. Jason Ho, as the officiating officer.

Dr. Hsuan-Pei Jason Ho, Assistant Professor and Director Office of International Affairs at Huangkang University, shared his insights on unpacking the immense value of Artificial Intelligence in the Age of AI. He also provided frameworks and lessons that he learned in the process. 

“AI will not replace you, but those who know how to use it will.” Dr. Ho said to the young communicators. 

The next host place for the CMSC 2024 will be at Benguet State University.