Representing the Philippines, the duo of Filipino student journalists Jefson Romeo B. Felix and Maria Rosario Isabel D. Seares of the Bachelor of Science in Medical Technology program of the Faculty of Pharmacy bagged the 1st prize in the 2nd ASEAN Youth Social Journalism (AYSJ 2021) contest for their flagship project, Juan Health PH. The announcement was released on August 31, 2021.
Juan Health PH
Besting the neighboring ASEAN countries to claim the top award, Felix and Seares launched Juan Health PH, the official entry of the Philippines in the contest, as a part of their social journalism campaign to empower and to provide Filipino communities with fresh, accurate, and accessible information on public health across different social media platforms including Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
“Nag-establish po kami ng isang youth-led organization that addresses community and public health dilemmas,” said Felix in an interview with the Communications Bureau. “We built (Juan Health PH) from scratch in just the one month grading period (from) June 6, 2021 to July 6, 2021.” Felix added.
With 170 members across 12 regions, as of August 31, 2021, Juan Health PH is powered by youth journalists, artists, translators, and management staff to help uphold the truth in the new normal, and to amplify the voices of the Filipino people.
Likewise, as a part of its initiative to disseminate their advocacy to a broader audience, the digital publication has been releasing highly-informative content in different languages, namely in English, Filipino, Bikolano, Hiligaynon, and Bisaya, to name some.
Meanwhile, Seares is the current Editor-in-Chief of the UST Purple Gazette, the official student publication of the Faculty of Pharmacy, succeeding Felix in the position.
An initiative by the ASEAN Foundation, United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and the Embassy of Ireland to recognize creative campaigns that helped communities in ASEAN nations, the theme of the AYSJ 2021 was “#ASEANYouth and COVID-19 ─ Response, Recovery, and Resilience.”