By Roland Sacristan

THE Bohol Island State University’s (BISU) official school publication, the Senior Craftsmen’s Voice (SCV), is this year’s Best Magazine fourth placer and finalist for Schools Press Advisers Movement (SPAM)’s Award of Courtesy for Institutions during the 7th SPAM Annual National Conference Sept. 12-14 at JJ’s Seafood Village, K of C Drive, Tagbilaran City. State and private colleges and universities throughout the country participated in the event bearing the theme: Intensifying the power of campus journalism in protecting and preserving the environment and natural resources. Of the 30 BISU-Main Campus high school and college student-journalists fielded for the various contests, Editor-In-Chief Lucio Amedilla and Features Editor Arben Vallente bagged second place Best News Writer of the Year and third place, Best Opinion Writer of the Year and second place, Editorial Writing, respectively.

On the other hand, Junior Craftsmen’s Voice (JCV) also won fourth place in Feature Writing, first place in News Writing (English) and first place in Editorial Writing (English). Meanwhile, SCV Associate Editor-In-Chief Roland Sacristan was the first Boholano to be elected as Junior SPAM vice president, succeeding Phma Lea Rarama of Aklan Catholic College in Aklan. Broadcaster Mike Enriquez and documentarist Howie Severino of GMA-7 were special guest speakers. They were also conferred the SPAM Awards of Excellence in the Field of Broadcasting and Documentary Reportage, respectively. Severino traced the revolutionary changes journalism went through – from the time of just the pen, paper and devices now obsolete, to the present modern journalism era. He inspired the young journalists to continue loving the profession and to adapt to the immense changes brought by advance technology. He also said journalism is a great power. It can move mountains, although quoting Spiderman’s uncle, he cautioned the budding writers that “with great power comes great responsibility”

Enriguez, with his signature clearing of his throat followed by “Excuse me, po!”, reinforced Severino’s idea of coping with technology, and giving inspiration in the manner of one of his bosses in GMA-7: “I am pushing you to the edge not so you will fall but so you will fly”. He stressed that to be competent, one should not allot time to the competition thinking how to overturn them in the race, but rather to look at what is inside of yourself.  “We are busy thinking what’s happening outside, not realizing that what’s happening inside is the more important one”, he said. The next annual SPAM National Conference will be in Baguio City next year.