The Philippine Collegian
The Philippine Collegian is the official student publication of the University of the Philippines Diliman, and one of only three tertiary-level campus publications in the Philippines released weekly. It is more commonly known to UP students as Kulê. It is known for its radical, often anti-administration views, and often gives critical views on the policies of the UP administration and the Philippine government.
Brief history
First known as the College Folio and Varsity News. As the College Folio, it was one of the very first undergraduate journals in the Philippines. The Philippine Collegian was officially established in 1922. Since then, it has become a symbol for academic freedom, critical thinking, and journalistic integrity and excellence.During the Japanese Occupation, the Collegian was largely silent, since many of the university's units were shut down. In 1946, the Collegian resumed publishing, maintaining an anti-colonialist perspective.
The 1950s brought to fore issues of academic freedom in the University, heightening the clash of beliefs between the Collegian, the University administration, and the national government. Then editor in chief Homobono Adaza, for example, was expelled for an editorial criticizing the UP administration.
Articles on the emergent revolutionary movement gained ground in the 1960s, complementing the rise of the student movement against the dictatorship of then President Ferdinand Marcos. During Martial Law, the Collegian defied the media blackout by going underground. The publication formed the radical press together with the other student publications such as the Ang Malaya of the Philippine College of Commerce, now Polytechnic University of the Philippines and Pandayan of Ateneo de Manila University and the publications of various communist and socialist-led groups. Several of its editors, including Abraham Sarmiento, Jr., Antonio Tagamolila, and Enrique Voltaire Garcia III, were either killed or died prematurely on account of their harassment by the Marcos government.
Since the ouster of Marcos during the EDSA Revolution, the Collegian has regularly undergone changes in format, withstood controversies regarding the selection of its editors, and remained a critical voice as part of the alternative media.
Former Collegian Editors-in-Chief
- Francisco Capistrano, 1923–1924
- Emerito M. Ramos, 1930–1931
- Wenceslao Q. Vinzons, 1931–1932
- Ambrosio Padilla, 1932–1933
- Arturo M. Tolentino, 1933–1934
- Armando de J. Malay, 1934–1935
- Romeno S. Busuego, 1937–1938
- Renato Constantino, 1939–1940
- Angel G. Baking, 1940–1941
- Delfin R. Garcia, 1941–1942
- Juan M. Hagad, 1946–1947
- Mariano V. Ampil, Jr., 1947–1948
- Leonardo B. Perez, 1948–1949
- Augusto Caesar Espiritu, 1949–1950
- Elmer A. Ordonez, 1950–1951
- Francisco D. Villanueva, 1951–1952
- Ignacio Debuque, 1952–1953
- Crispulo J. Icban, Jr., 1953–1954
- Luis Q. U. Uranza, Jr., 1954–1955
- Sabino Padilla, Jr., 1955–1956
- Jose H. Y. Masakayan, 1956–1957
- Homobono Adaza, 1957–1958
- Pacifico Agabin summer of 1957-1958
- Caesar Agnir, 1958–1959
- Andres G. Gatmaitan, 1959-1960
- Leonardo Quisumbing, 1961–1962; Luis V. Teodoro, Jr.
- Angelito Imperio, 1962–1963
- Tristan Catindig, 1963–1964
- Salvador T. Carlota, 1964–1965
- Enrique Voltaire Garcia II, Ancheta K. Tan 1965–1966
- Agustin Que, 1966–1967
- Temario Rivera, 1966-1967
- Nelson A. Navarro, 1967-1968
- Jaime J. Yambao, March 1 - September 21, 1967, editor, Benild J. Pires, managing editor
- Miriam P. Defensor, 1968–1969
- Jose Y. Arcellana, 1968-1969
- Victor Manarang, 1969–1970
- Ernesto M. Valencia, 1971
- Antonio S. Tagamolila, 1971
- Reynaldo B. Vea, 1971–1972
- Eduardo T. Gonzalez
- Teodoro D. Yabut, Jr.
- Oscar G. Yabes, 1972–1974
- Emmanuel F. Esguerra, 1974–1975
- Diwa C. Guinigundo, 1975-1976
- Abraham Sarmiento, Jr., 1975–1976
- Cosme Diaz Rosell, 1976–1977
- Alexander Poblador, 1977–1978
- Diwata A. Reyes, 1978–1979
- Malou Mangahas, 1979–1980
- Roberto Z. Coloma, 1980–1981
- Roan I. Libarios, 1981–1982
- Napoleon J. Poblador, 1982–1983
- Raphael P. Lotilla, 1983–1984
- Benjamin Pimentel, Jr., 1984–1985
- Noel Pangilinan, 1985–1986
- Dean Karlo La Vina, 1986–1987
- Ma. Cristina Godinez, 1987–1988
- Patrocinio Jude H. Esguerra III, 1988–1989
- Ruben Carranza, Jr., 1989–1990
- Francis Ronald Perez, 1990–1991
- Alexander Pabico, 1991–1992
- Pablo John Garcia, Jr., 1992–1993
- Bernard Cobarrubias, 1993–1994
- Michael John C. Ac-ac, 1994–1995
- Ibarra M. Gutierrez, 1995–1996
- Voltaire Veneracion, 1996–1997
- Lourdes C. Gordolan, 1997–1998
- Jeanie Rose Bacong, 1998–1999
- Seymour Barros-Sanchez, 1999–2000
- Herbert V. Docena, 2000–2001
- Duke M. Bajenting, 2001–2002
- Ellaine Rose A. Beronio, 2002–2003
- Sherwin A. Mapanoo, 2003–2004
- Jayson DP Fajarda, 2004–2005
- Juan Paolo E. Colet, 2005–2006
- Karl Fredrick M. Castro, 2006–2007
- Jerrie M. Abella, 2007–2008
- Larissa Mae R. Suarez, 2008–2009
- Om Narayan A. Velasco, 2009–2010
- Pauline Gidget R. Estella, 2010–2011
- Marjohara S. Tucay, 2011–2012
- Ma. Katherine H. Elona, 2012–2013
- Julian Inah G. Anunciacion, 2013-2014
- Mary Joy T. Capistrano, 2014-2015
- Mary Joy T. Capistrano, 2015-2016
- Karen Ann A. Macalalad, 2016-2017
- Sanny Boy D. Afable, 2017-2018
- Jayson Edward B. San Juan, 2018-2019
- Beatrice P. Puente 2019-present
Notable alumni
- Ambrosio Padilla, elected member of the Senate of the Philippines.
- Jose Maria Sison, scholar, revolutionary, founder of the Communist Party of the Philippines.
- Franklin Drilon, Senate of the Philippines President.
- Miriam Defensor Santiago, elected member of the Senate of the Philippines.
- Edcel C. Lagman, eight term Representative of the First District of Albay; Author of the Reproductive Health Law, and the triumvirate of human laws, namely: the Anti-Enforced Disappearance Law, Anti-Torture Act, and Human Rights Victims Reparation and Recognition Act.
- Wenceslao Vinzons, student leader, former governor and representative of Camarines Norte, revolutionary.
- Ninotchka Rosca, author of the English language novels State of War and
- Renato Constantino, historian, author of the Filipino novels A Past Revisited and The Continuing Past.
- Leonardo Quisumbing, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines.
- Abraham Sarmiento, Jr., student leader.
- Reynato Puno, Supreme Court of the Philippines Chief Justice.
- Temario Rivera, Former professor of political science at the University of the Philippines Diliman; author of Landlords and Capitalists: Class, Family and State in Philippine Manufacturing.
- Sheila Coronel, journalist, founder of Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism.
- Ma. Lourdes C. Mangahas, founder of Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism.
- Michael Purugganan, Professor of Biology and Dean for Science at the New York University.
- Joker Arroyo, elected member of the Senate of the Philippines.
- Arturo Tolentino, politician.
- Benigno Aquino, Jr., Senator; namesake of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.
- Jovito Salonga, Senate of the Philippines President.
- Homobono Adaza, former Governor of Misamis Oriental, Assemblyman, Commissioner of Immigration.
- Pacifico Agabin, former dean of the U.Ph. College of Law, leading constitutionalist lawyer
- Emmanuel F. Esguerra, former Socio-Economic Planning Secretary; Director-General, NEDA; U.P. Professor of Economics
- Salvador Carlota, former dean of the University of the Philippines College of Law.
- Nelson A. Navarro, leading biographer and author.
- Luis V. Teodoro, former dean of the UP College of Mass Communication, writer and author.
- Jaime C. Yambao, retired Philippine ambassador to Pakistan.