PACE50: Empowering voices in emergent and divergent spaces

The Philippine Association of Communication Educators (PACE), the country’s premiere,
biggest, and most dynamic professional group of media and communication educators and
practitioners, will celebrate its 50th Anniversary on October 23-25, 2025 with the theme
#PACE50: Empowering Voices in Emergent and Divergent Spaces.

The three-day event, which is hosted by UP Los Banos, co-presented by SEARCA, and sponsored by PagIBIG Fund will feature the Communication and Media Studies Conference (CMSC) where academic papers of faculty and students will be presented and the PACE of the Future Student Camp (PFSC),
which will showcase the best outputs of communication students from its member institutions in
Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.

Serving as opening keynote speaker is French journalist Pascal Guenee, chair of the World
Journalism Education Council, while the closing keynote speech will be delivered by Dr. Jayeel
Cornelio, director of the Science Education Institute of the Department of Science and
Technology.

The opening program will also feature two plenary lectures by Fr. Dennis Cagantas, co-founder
and chair of MEND: Music for the Environment and Nation Development, and Mr. Red Batario,
founder and executive director of the Center for Community Journalism and Development.

PFSC will have industry experts for its coaches, including DZMM’s Ricky Rosales
(broadcasting), Fyt Media’s Voltaire Tupaz (journalism), PRSP’s Norman Agatep (integrated
marketing communications), Star Cinema’s Kriz Gazmen (film), PageOne’s Ron Jabal (events),
ScicommPH’s Ruby Cristobal (devcom), and Mapua’s She Andes (documentary).

The CHED Technical Panel for Journalism, Broadcasting, and Communication and the
Technical Working Group for Graduate Education will have a special session, too.

Capping the three-day event is the 50th Anniversary Gala Night, Homecoming, and Recognition
Ceremony, which will be held at the Charles Fuller Baker Memorial Hall, UPLB. The highlight of the
celebration is the recognition of former presidents of the association and the different institutions
and organizations with whom PACE forged partnerships through the years, and the
induction ceremonies of the newly elected PACE board for AY 2025-2027.

PACE President Mark Lester del Mundo Chico expressed his deep gratitude to the
administration of UPLB for its strong support to the organization. “We thank Chancellor Jose V.
Camacho, Jr., and the whole UPLB community for the overwhelming support to PACE,” Chico
said. 

Chancellor Camacho reiterated his unwavering commitment to advance the practice
of communication.

“The partnership and collaboration of great minds in both UPLB and PACE will nurture scholarship, research, public service, and extension in the field of communication for the future of students, scholars, and advocates of communication education,” he said.

In the book titled PACE turning 50: A history of the Philippine Association of Communication
Educators, Dr. Crispin Maslog fondly recalls that PACE was initially conceived when, at the end
of a conference at El Grande, Paranaque, communication educators decided to put into action
the plans they have envisioned.

Through the sponsorship of the Department of PublicInformation, communication educators met at the  Lualhati House in Mansion House, Baguio City on October 23-25, 1975, to discuss the idea of forming an association.

Among the institutions present were Ateneo de Manila University, Miriam College, Mindanao State
University, Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila, Philippine Women’s University, Silliman
University, St. Joseph’s College, Saint Louis University, St. Paul College, University of the
Philippines, Diliman, University of the Philippines Los Baños, and the University of Santo
Tomas.

Founding members of the association included Fr. Alberto Ampil, S.J. (Ateneo), Pedrito Jose V.
Bermudo (PLM), Albert Casuga (DPI), Nanette F. Diyco (UST), Carolina S.J. Fajardo (Maryknoll
now Miriam College), Nora C. Quebral (UPLB), Raul R. Ingles (UP Institute of Mass
Communication), Crispin Maslog (Silliman University), Clodualdo del Mundo, Jr. (De La Salle
University), Virgilio L. Pernito (St. Paul’s College Manila), Sr. Geraldine Serrano, CFIC (St.
Joseph’s College), Leticia Tolentino (St. Louis University), and Yolanda V. Velasco (PWU).

Fifty years after its inception, PACE remains steadfast in its mission of promoting the
development of communication education to address current trends and issues affecting
stakeholders in communication, assisting member schools in curriculum planning to ensure
vertical articulation to local and global communication needs, fostering collaboration with
industries for faculty professional development and ensuring enrichment of learning experiences
for students to prepare them as frontliners in the communication field.