DAKOM Online

The COMMUNICATOR (Dakom) is the official student publication of the PUP College of Communication, an autonomous institution which stands for and advocates truth, fairness, honesty and integrity. It reflects the true sentiments and ideas of the COC students. It does not only instill and promote students’ rights, interests and welfare but also provides scientific and technological information that would be of help to them. It promotes civic, environmental and human consciousness among students. The COMMUNICATOR, at all times, upholds the reputation, interests, goals and ideals of the COC community.

The Beginning

The Communicator (also known as Dakom) started as a project spearheaded by Professor Ernie del Monte under the College of Languages and Mass Communication (CLMC) and supported by Dr. Rustica Carpio, the dean during that time. Its aim was to deliver news regarding the development of the old college in terms of infrastructure and academics. Before, the publishing of the newspaper was done at the University Press.

The publication served as an outlet which honed the talents of the students, some of which have become professors and administrators whom we know today. But when Prof. del Monte transferred position, the publication was left under the management of the students. Professor Danny Pata was the first editor in chief who freely supervised the publication, from the content to its financial aspects. This was the start of Dakom as a Student Publication or a publication managed by the students for the students. Time passed and every passing year seemed to have faded the essence and goals of Dakom.

A New Chapter

The move by Hannibal Talete to promote press freedom made a mark in the university’s history. At this point, Dakom was given a deeper meaning and a more profound purpose. In order for the publication to be given permission to remain, the students marched from the Department of Mass Communication to the main campus, an action proving the students’ support for a progressive newpaper.

From 1998 to 2000, Dakom served as the official newspaper of CLMC.

It was 2001 when the Department of Mass Communication was transformed into a college and so it separated from the Department of Languages. The CLMC was divided into two colleges presently known as College of Communication (CoC) and College of Languages and Linguistics (CLL).

However, no confusion was created after the establishment of the two new colleges. The publishing of the newspaper continued under CoC using the fund collected from its students. CLL did not petition to use the publication that is why Dakom kept on serving the CoC studentry.

Under the leadership of Arnol Meridor as editor in chief, the eradication of the publication started, along with the worsening politics in CoC. Dakom fearlessly publicized the reason behind the conflict among Dr. Divina Pasumbal (Dean), Dr. Ma. Lourdes Garcia (Chairperson, Department of Broadcast Communication) and Dr. Robert Soriano (Chairperson, Department of Journalism) which caused an unpleasant effect in the academe. At this point, the administration barred the collection of funds from the students.

The administration’s strategy to completely stop Dakom was technical. It argued that Dakom was an official publication of CLMC and because its two departments have already branched out, it was not clear as to which college would be given the newspaper’s supervision. It was allegedly unofficial.

Different means to obstruct the publication continued. While the students' fight for their rights weakened, a culture of passiveness has proliferated in the college. The absence of a medium of information is one of the factors that resulted to passive students and it was proven when this institution finally stopped publishing in 2003.