Article by MassCom Major Lands Front Page in Nat’l Daily
A special feature on folk healers in Siquijor Island written by a senior student at the College of Mass Communication landed on the front page of the Philippine Daily Inquirer (PDI), one of the country’s major national papers.
The article of Maya Angelique Jajalla, titled ‘Siquijor: Brewing cures, curses,’ saw print in PDI’s April 16 issue. Its publication was timed with the country’s observance of Holy Week.
Her article walked readers through the traditional practice among herbalists or healers in Siquijor of preparing their different kinds of potions.
The season of Lent is said to be the time when healers gather and then brew the special ingredients for their potions. This practice has also become a source of tourism for the province, with many growing curious about the power of their potions, including helping one find love.
Jajalla is part of the school paper, the Weekly Sillimanian, and has served as its editor-in-chief.
In January 2014, another article by a student at the College of Mass Communication and a member of the school paper, Melissa Alexandra Pal, also earned a space on the front page of the PDI. Her article, “Nursing 3rd placer is beauty and brains from Silliman in Dumaguete,” featured 2014 Nurse Licensure Exam topnotcher Marian Vanslembrouck, who was first runner-up in the 2010 Miss Silliman pageant and the president of the Silliman University Student Government in her senior year.
