The University of San Agustin (USA) Publications (USA Publications, informally known as USA Pub) is the official student press corps of the University of San Agustin in Iloilo City, Philippines. Originally a high school publication of Colegio de San Agustin de Iloilo (former name of USA), it was founded on 1928 with its first recorded publication released in August 1928. It is the oldest Catholic campus publication in Asia outside Manila. The press corps publishes The Augustinian Mirror (magazine), The Augustinian (newspaper), Irong-irong (literary journal), Dingding ni Gusting (community wall newspaper), and other special issues."Publications". USA Publications Official Website. 2012. Retrieved 2 December 2012.

Today it is one of the most awarded college press corps in the Philippines. It has received its first national distinction when The Augustinian Mirror was adjudged as one of the three best-edited school magazines in the country during the late 1950s.

History Early years

The USA Publications started out as the official school organ of the old Colegio de San Agustin de Iloilo (now University of San Agustin). The need for a school publication was felt as early as 1927. The idea to have a publication came from high school students, Jose Mijares and Jose Sanchez. These students presented their plan to the school's rector that time, Fr. Vidal Yraeta, O.S.A. who approved it without much ado. Jose Mijares was appointed as the first editor-in-chief with Jose Sanchez and Eduardo Campos as associate editors. Fr. Mariano Sapiña, O.S.A. was its first moderator and adviser.

The staff members were able to release the first issue of The Augustinian Mirror in August 1928. It came out in an 8-page tabloid form with its masthead using Old English Text font face.

Early International Exposition

Despite an early age of establishment, the USA Publications had fast upgrades and was not only circulated in the school, rather, it reached the national and international scenes. The fast upgrades were characterized by great improvement in terms of equipment and library building.

Jose Sanchez, associate editor that time, gained distinction as the best national short story writer in a national contest. In April 1936, The Augustinian Mirror was exhibited in the exposition of Catholic press at the Vatican.

Post World War II

The USA Publications had to stop its operation during the Second World War. The Colegio was also closed for the same. However, in the second half of the 1940s, the resumption of the operations of the Colegio and the press corps were characterized by the evolution of The Augustinian Mirror from a tabloid form into a magazine. The first woman editor in the person of Josefa Contreras led the staff from 1946 to 1948.

It was on 1 March 1953 when the Colegio de San Agustin de Iloilo was granted university status by the Philippine government making it the first university in Western Visayas. In 1954, during the Golden Jubilee of the university, Primo Esleyer became the editor-in-chief. Under his leadership, he was able to come up with a 110-page magazine which contained most of the events during the said anniversary.

On 15 September 1954, the first issue of The Augustinian was released during the rectorship of Rev. Fr. Isaac Insunza, OSA. The Augustinian was a monthly newspaper that was conceived to enable students to have more prompt appraisal of the happenings in the university.

In 1956, The Augustinian Mirror was a winner in a competition for school publications when it was given awards as Best College Magazine, Second Best Newspaper, Best Editorial Page, Best Sports Page, Second Best Literary Page. It was then adjudged as one of the three best edited school magazines in the National Collegiate Press Contest. The same title was awarded to the USA Publications in 1958.

In 1962, the USA Publications and other departmental publications of the University of San Agustin hosted the delegates coming from 22 campus publications in Western Visayas in celebrating the feast of St. Francis de Sales, the patron saint of journalism. Fr. Rafael Lopez was the moderator.

In 1966, The Augustinian Mirror editor-in-chief Wilfredo Segovia was elected national president of the College Editors Guild of the Philippines (CEGP) alongside Daniel Florida Jr. of The Quezonian (official publication of the Manuel L. Quezon University). Segovia was one of the only two past national presidents of the CEGP who came from outside the Luzon."CEGP Presidents". College Editors Guild of the Philippines. Retrieved 1 January 2013.

The College Editors Guild of the Philippines was a national organization of campus journalists founded in 1931 by The Varsitarian of the University of Santo Tomas, The National of the National University, The Philippine Collegian of the University of the Philippines and The GUIDON of the Ateneo de Manila University."History". College Editors Guild of the Philippines. Retrieved 1 January 2013.

The Marcos Era and the Martial Law Period As the Marcos dictatorship tightened its grip over the nation, students in major universities especially in Manila and parts of Western Visayas became more active, spearheading the movement for reforms. The student ferment in San Agustin boiled over through the student council, led by it president, Linda Marie Palma, who, in 1967–68 was also editor of the Mirror after Segovia. Leodegario Tabios took over the Mirror during the lead-up to the First Quarter Storm and tried to influence the studentry towards centrist politics. (Palma and Tabios were married in 1971)

No issue of the publications came out in 1972–1973 during the first year of Martial Law declared by the late Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos. The youngest editor of the USA Publications, in the person of Ma. Leah Rosana Ravena at the age of 16, led the staff in 1973–1974.

From 1976 to 1991, Anita Bellosillo served as moderator of the USA Publications.

In 1976, the first Regional College Press (COPRE) Conference and Awards was organized by the Ministry of Public Information VI (now the Philippine Information Agency Regional Office 6 or simply, PIA-6). It was first facilitated by the USA Publications and The Central Echo, the official school publication of Central Philippine University. Various colleges and universities from Aklan, Antique, Capiz, Guimaras, Iloilo and Negros Occidental participated the event. Today, it is now solely organized by PIA-6 and is sponsored by Smart Communications, Inc. and the Canadian Urban Institute.

Since the beginning of COPRE, The Augustinian Mirror won Best College Development Communication Magazine; thus earning them the first Gawad Graciano Lopez Jaena Award for winning the said distinction for five consecutive years (1976–1981). The staff members were awarded a presidential trophy.The Augustinian Mirror March 2001. p. 4. The Augustinian Mirror also won the Antonio Tagamolila Award for its intelligent discussion of socio-political issues during the National Collegiate Press Conference organized by CEGP. The Augustinian, on the other hand, won Best Tourism-oriented Paper in Western Visayas from 1980 to 1982. It was awarded by the Department of Tourism.

Two editors-in-chief, Raul S. Anlocotan and Jobert (Penaflorida) Yap received the Presidential Gold Medal Awards in 1983 and 1984, respectively, for being part of the Most Outstanding Campus Writers in the Philippines, given by the Office of the President of the Philippines (Office of Media Affairs now the Philippine Information Agency). In 1984 (with Raul Anlocotan and Leomil Aportadera as editors-in-chief of the Augustinian Publications) and 1987, The Augustinian Mirror again won best magazine in COPRE.

The USA Publications editors monopolized the championship awards in the National Rizal Essay Writing Contest for seven consecutive years. Moreover, the "Most Outstanding Graduate" award of the University of San Agustin was also monopolized by its editors from 1977 to 1990.

The Nineties

In June 1991, when Bellosillo was appointed by the University of San Agustin to be the chairperson of the English Department, Flaviano Manalo took over the moderatorship. Under his stewardship, The Augustinian Mirror won its second Gawad Graciano Lopez Jaena for winning Best College Magazine from 1987 to 1992. In 1993, the PIA granted The Augustinian Mirror the privilege of not to compete in the yearly competition for five years. The Augustinian emerged as Best Newspaper in Western Visayas in the November 1995 COPRE Conference and Awards held at Bacolod, Negros Occidental.The Augustinian, XLII, 3. November–December 1995.

After the expiry of the five-year exemption in 1998, Cynette Lovelyn Mirasol, editor, led The Augustinian Mirror to victory of winning again the Best College Magazine title in COPRE held at Roxas City, Capiz.The Augustinian, XLII, 3. November–December 1995.

The New Millennium

The Augustinian Mirror and The Augustinian remained on top from 2000 up to its last reception of the third Gawad Graciano Lopez Jaena Award in 2004 which again gave them a privilege of not joining the Regional College Press Conference for five years. By this time, the USA Publications already had five of the said title, three for The Augustinian Mirror and two for The Augustinian.

On 2002, Diosdadita Arungayan took over the moderatorship. And on 2004, Carlos Palanca Memorial Awardee for Literature John Iremil Teodoro became moderator.

As an indication that the University of San Agustin was leading the way in publication efforts, the USA Publications organized the 1st Gusting Campus Journalism Seminar on 19–20 October 2004 at the campus. It was attended by more than 50 student journalists coming from various educational institutions in Western Visayas. The seminar continued for three years. The San Ag Campus Press Awards was also launched the following year. It was a regional press competition for publications in high schools, colleges and universities all over Western Visayas, both public and private.

The Augustinian Mirror from 2004 to 2008 transformed into a tourism-oriented magazine which has featured the various provinces in the country such as Cebu, Guimaras, Iloilo, Mindoro, and Palawan. On 2009, it was supposed to feature the Ilocos Region; however, with budget constraints, the staff decided not to push through with the plan. During the later part of this period, Erwin Sustento took over the position moderator when Teodoro transferred to another school in Metro Manila.

Irong-irong, the official student literary journal of the university was launched in 2005 with Arlene Moscaya as the first editor.

The last regional San Ag Campus Press Awards was then held in 2010. The Spectrum of the University of St. La Salle in Bacolod, Negros Occidental won the title, Best College Newspaper; while The Central Echo of Central Philippine University in Jaro District, Iloilo City won the title Best College Magazine.

Digital Era

On Academic Year 2009–2010, the USA Publications was the supposed comeback for the Regional College Press (COPRE) Conference. However, the staff decided to hold its last San Ag Campus Press Awards on 2010 and move their participation in COPRE that year. The editors that time were Jefferson Magbanua and Pietros Val Patricio.