A pleasant morning to everyone!

My respect to our distinguished Schools Division Superintendent, Dr.

Yolanda V. Carpina. I also exhort the admirable woman and the reason
for Cavite’s glorious moments in Campus Journalism, to Dr. Elpidia B.
Bergado.

Another year had passed and we find ourselves once more in our
traditional DSPC here in Tanza Elementary School in preparation for the
next exhilarating, back braking, nerve-wracking but should I say victorious
year of Campus Journalism just like before.

For myself, I call this event a defining mission of a school paper

adviser which is also a vital instrument to open the eyes of our young pupil
journalists for positive social change and nation building.

Campus Journalism is not just a tool of information inside the school

in the hands of the school paper adviser and student journalists. When it is
used by those deeply imbued with the spirit of truth and driven by a passion
to serve so many, it can transform attitudes, instill cherished values, inspire
and ennoble hearts and minds reached and touched by what it convey. So
Campus Journalism is a moral compass of our school, our community and
our country as a whole. Campus Journalism is a significant mean for better
communication.

But it is ironic that in our world today, when advances in

communication have grown in leaps and bounds, there is a lot of
miscommunication, confusion and disconnection. Truth has become more
elusive You only has to look at our society nowadays.

This year’s theme evolves on the topic, Freedom of Expression: A Right and
A Responsibility. It means that, as a vital segment of a free society, campus
journalism is expected to abide by the journalistic standards in the proper use of
language, images and ideas in order to promote this national messianic endeavor
which is the Millenium Development Goal.

It is a huge responsibility and it rests in our gifted shoulders my fellow

school paper advisers. The contents of the school paper we are going to publish
count. Let us write and publish developmental communications and articles rather
than those stories of fantasies and make believe which are very common in most
television shows. Though we are dealing with children, let us show them that that
can participate in the change that all of us are dreaming of. Let us publish the real
thing in our real world.

Obviously the media nowadays contributes tremendous influence in our

world, but most especially, and somewhat disturbingly, too, on children and young
people. Indeed, some claim that the formative influence of the media rivals that of
the school, even the Church and maybe even the home.

The annual DSPC is considered a beacon of light for student writers. They
are trained and honed to various journalistic way of writing like news, editorial,
feature, sports and others. This is one of the nourishments for their growing mind,
body and soul.

And we, school paper advisers with the support of our school principal and in the
case of those in the private schools their school administrators and owners are the
blacksmiths who will mold their lives as good and law-abiding citizens, as honest
and caring persons and as responsible adults. Make this our mission, our foremost
mission.

Let us consolidate our effort and work unselfishly to put once more our
beloved province of Cavite in its shining glory in the regional and national schools
press conferences this year.