Far Eastern University (FEU) communication students bagged four recognitions in the 8th Philippine Student Quill last February 19. 

Awardees from the University competed with more than 800 entries from other institutions nationwide. 

It is the ‘country’s most prestigious awards program’ which honors communication-related projects that bring contribution to society. 

CovidComms2020—PBB-Proyekto Para sa Bata: Larot Kaalaman sa Panahon ng Epidemya 

Mariel Neral, Ira Teresa Bautista, Irra Bulalacao, Jeannine De Polania, and Vincent Umali were recognized among the 13 winners for Division 1: Communication Management with their entry emphasizing the situation and growth of children in this pandemic. 

As the proponent of their project, Neral said, “As a team, we wanted to develop a project that would address the children’s situation during this pandemic. Not just in the education aspect, but we wanted to focus on their growth as a child.”

Their entry is a project plan that assists parents in various ways to help their children go through the feelings of ‘isolation, vulnerability, and struggles’ during the pandemic with guidance and comfort. 

Neral expressed her excitement upon knowing the results, “It was overall, a euphoric day to the point that I got goosebumps. Because all of us in our team did not expect anything. But we were claiming it, we were just having fun making this project.”

Neral shared the credit with the members of her team citing their ‘creative minds’ as major contributors for polishing their output and to FEU Department of Communication (DepComm) head, Ms. Dijan Anansa for her unconditional support and guidance. 

CovidComms2020—MULAT 2.0: Visual Communication Exhibit 2020 Theme: Visual Expressions of Quarantine

An entry that ended up winning in Division 4: Communication Skills was the submission of Airam Tanparia, presenting a visual art exhibit with a theme portraying the situation of Filipinos amid a stringent quarantine period.  

“We just really want to show that amidst the pandemic, we can still create something, it can be in a form of visual art or short film, that will voice out our battle cry to have a better society and continuously fight for the rights of every Filipinos," he shared.

Tanparia expressed his amazement upon receiving the news after reflecting on his hard work and additional effort from other contributors to deliver a winning project. 

As brief advice for his fellow communications students “Everyone of us must not get tired of making a change for our homeland. Because others seem to get tired as if it’s hopeless to make a difference in this country.”

Major factors that motivated Tanparia to join the event were his professors from DepComm which he noted had supported him over the entire process. 

Fact Check 101: A Video Campaign to Combat Fake News

A team of junior communication students: John Vernard Valiente, Steven Kyle Bilgera Poblete, Nickey Zacate, Juan Pablo Parian, Lovely Joy Baylosis, Angela Busayong, and Shane Trisha Tan decided to tackle ‘fake news’ for their entry.

Their submission featured an informative video regarding the prevalence of ‘fake news’ and disinformation in social media with reminders to prevent further consumption of false information through fact-checking. 

Valiente shared that they previously had no idea and plans about the event but Mr. Nikko Visperas of DepComm approached them and saw the potential of their work, eventually pushing them to join. 

Their team shared the ‘fulfillment’ they felt upon learning the results of their collective effort, saying that the award arrived unexpectedly for them due to numerous rejections and the stringent process of working on their project amid the pandemic. 

Even so, Baylosis and Poblete embraced the mistakes and rejections that their team received from the critique of their professors, sharing that they remain thankful at DepComm for the opportunity and supervision. 

CovidComms2020: Tatak Tamaraw 

For his final year as a communication student, Thomas Jefferson Cauzon also notched a win with this project which he led and became the framework for the virtual transition of the University’s trademark event—‘Tatak Tamaraw.’

“I think what made it stand-out is the creative use and maximization of different online platforms”, Cauzon said as the events and activities of Tatak Tamaraw mostly relied on Facebook, Canvas, and Microsoft Teams.

Cauzon and his team displayed a sense of gratification after learning of the award, stating that such accolades recognize the event as one of the top university events in terms of creative communications.

“I dedicate this win to the FEU community and the whole Tatak Tamaraw team who dedicated their time and effort to mount the first-ever online Tatak Tamaraw Freshmen Orientation. Small or big, their efforts greatly contributed to the success of the event,” Cauzon added.

Despite earning praises, he did not deny that the team faced challenges especially with the limitations brought by the pandemic, acknowledging the importance of the event and delivering a similar experience and immersion to upcoming FEU students.

Cauzon after his successful project, advised his fellow communication students to face any challenges ahead as obstacles will always be present during productions, also stressing the importance of ‘trust’ on a team.

In addition to the student awardees, former Vice President for Academic Services (VPAS) Joeven Castro was also awarded for his two projects in the University.

He managed to win under the professional category 8 for Customer Relations as the project adviser for the project. 

Further, FEU Learning Journey (FLJ) by Castro was also awarded under the same category. FLJ serves as a guide for the FEU students in preparation for their career and life goals. 

The 18th Philippine Quill virtual awards night will be done online on March 25. 

-Antonio Luis Carreon 

(Photo by Andrea Joy Gonzales/FEU Advocate)