page_title: University of San Agustin Publications
section_title: Digital Era
hierarchical_section_title: University of San Agustin Publications / History / Digital Era
caption_attribution_description: English: The October 2012 issue of The Augustinian which won as Best College Newspaper in the 3rd National Campus Press Awards held in Bacolod City, Negros Occidental.
context_page_description: The University of San Agustin Publications is the official student press corps of the University of San Agustin in Iloilo City, Philippines. Originally a high school publication of Colegio de San Agustin de Iloilo, it was founded on 1928 with its first recorded publication released on August 1928. It is the oldest Catholic campus publication in Asia outside Manila. The press corps publishes The Augustinian Mirror, The Augustinian, Irong-irong, Dingding ni Gusting, and other special issues.
  Today it is one of the most awarded college press corps in the Philippines. It has received its first national distinction when The Augustinian Mirror was adjudged as one of the three best-edited school magazines in the country during the late 1950s.
context_section_description: On Academic Year 2009–2010, the USA Publications was the supposed comeback for the Regional College Press (COPRE) Conference. However, the staff decided to hold its last San Ag Campus Press Awards on 2010 and move their participation in COPRE that year. The editors that time were Jefferson Magbanua and Pietros Val Patricio.
  On Academic Year 2010–2011, Jefferson Magbanua and Donna Isabelle Fresnido were the editors-in-chief. Gladys Confesor, on the other hand, took the challenge of being moderator of the USA Publications. This year was the comeback to press competitions. Developments were further done in the publications through the efforts of their managing editor, Ray Adrian Macalalag, who introduced the USA Publications to online visibility. The USA Publications joined the 2010 COPRE and the 1st Smart Communications Campus Blogsite Contest. A community wall newspaper was also launched under the supervision of Jerson Elmido and it won second best wall newspaper; The Augustinian Mirror place fifth Best College magazine; and the USA Publications placed fifth in the blogsite contest.
  On Academic Year 2011–2012, the editors-in-chief were both replaced after Magbanua and Fresnido graduated. From 2006 to 2011, the editors came from the College of Arts and Sciences but this academic year came in with editors coming from other colleges. Mary Leslie Eregia, from the College of Pharmacy and Medical Technology, topped the qualifying examination and became the editor of the Mirror, while Ray Adrian Macalalag, from the College of Engineering and Architecture, took the second highest spot in the exam which earned him the title of being editor of The Augustinian. During this period, the USA Publications had further developments such as online edition of the publications they produced. They were able to join two competitions: the Spectrum Fellowship National Campus Press Awards organized by The Spectrum of the University of St. La Salle and the COPRE which is co-organized by PIA-6 and Smart Communications, Inc.
  The Augustinian placed fifth in Best Newspaper in COPRE while the entire USA Publications placed second in the 2nd Smart Communications Campus Blogsite Contest. Dingding ni Gusting placed first Best Wall Newspaper. Meanwhile, The Augustinian Mirror participated in the Spectrum Fellowship National Campus Press Awards and reaped Best Magazine, Best Magazine Layout, and Best Magazine Cover Design. Macalalag and Genessa Buenafe, associate editor, were named among the Ten Outstanding Campus Journalists in the national awards.
  On Academic Year 2012–2013, the USA Publications was led by Macalalag and Josefa Maria Castro. The USA Publications gathered major developments on online visibility by launching its USA Publications News, a web newscast which is said to be the first ever to be done in Visayas if not the entire country. The web newscast was also part of their advocacy to use lesser quantity of paper. This advocacy was further strengthened by decreasing the size of their newspaper and using less-space-consuming fonts. This academic year was truly blessed after the USA Publications won both Best College Magazine and Best College Newspaper in the 9th Spectrum Fellowship National Campus Press Awards. Castro was awarded Best Opinion Article and Macalalag remained in the Ten Outstanding Campus Journalists. In COPRE, the USA Publications landed in first place in the 3rd Smart Communications Campus Blogsite Contest; Dingding ni Gusting won its two-peat for Best Wall Newspaper; The Augustinian landed as second Best College Newspaper; The Augustinian Mirror landed third Best College Magazine; and Irong-irong which debuted in the competition won third Best College Literary Folio.
  Today, the USA Publications remains as one of the leading campus publications in the Philippines having a multifunctional website, and several titles both local and national.
caption: The Augustinian October 2012 issue, awarded as Best College Newspaper in the 3rd National Campus Press Awards
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