EXPLANATORY NOTE
As a tribute to the historic role and contributions of the campus press in the promotion and protection of freedom of the press in the country, this legislation aims to declare the 25th of July of every year as the "National Campus Press Freedom Day."
The 25th of July is a momentous day for the campus press as the College Editors Guild of the Philippines (CEGP), an alliance of tertiary student publications nationwide, was founded on July 25, 1931 – the day the campus press started to organize itself. The CEGP is the largest, oldest existing, and the only student organization of its kind in the Asia Pacific Region. The 25th of July coincides with the birthday of Ernesto Rodriguez Jr., a former editor in chief of The National (National University) and the founder of the CEGP.
The Guild, a patriotic and democratic organization, is the center for the advancement of campus press freedom in the Philippines as it aims to continuously uphold and defend the interest and welfare of student journalists, its student-publishers, and the Filipino people.
Campus journalists and alumni who have served with CEGP continued to pursue the organization's advocacies even after their years in school and have thus contributed significantly to the nation's overall development. Alumni, such as government officials, public servants, civil society leaders and activists, media practitioners, business and industry leaders, and personalities grace the CEGP history's list of student leaders.
An alternative press during the dark days of martial law, the campus press has shown to the Filipino people the true state of affairs of the country during the years of dictatorship. Today, the campus press continues to do so in its commitment for the promotion and protection of freedom of the press, and for the defense of the interest and welfare of the Filipino people. In fact, a number of student journalists and alumni have even sacrificed their life and limbs in the fulfillment of the patriotic and democratic ideals of the Guild.
This legislation, therefore, aims to mandate that the "National Campus Press Freedom Day" be celebrated in the Philippines as a testament to the students' commitment to promote and protect the inviolable right of freedom of the press.
It is for these reasons that the passage of this proposed measure is earnestly sought.
