Amaranth: Not Always Free

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By Jed Asaph Cortes

It’s not all the time that Amaranth was free. It was limited during Martial Law. It was abandoned during EDSA. It was hampered a number of times by faculty and staff. We sometimes find the pub at the mercy of admin staff, because they hold our money. We are even forced not to follow our charter just because VSU authorities want things their way, like holding the screening.

I was still in high school when Amaranth was reborn. It was in 2005 when a group of students took on the challenge. It was to resurrect a publication who died. Dead for five years.

To those who see this publication alive and kicking today, we cannot really imagine much. We couldn’t appreciate the efforts of the pioneers. These trailblazers are largely taken for granted.

As a junior high school student in VL, I had no idea what was happening in the upper campus. But to them it might be different. Like the editors who probably sat on this chair that I am sitting on right now. To the writer who walked down the market thinking about school injustices she witnessed. Or to the student leader who felt helpless. If we only knew what they really went through, we won’t probably think the same as before.

Imagine TV Patrol or 24 Oras if they only featured the good news. Or just showbiz. Or some other savvy feature. Let’s say their news chiefs won’t let out news about Lacson, or the RH Bill, or the Ombudsman’s impeachment issues. They say it might offend people. It might probably get them sued.

You would say, “O, come on! We have press freedom. They should tell the story fearlessly.” There’s something to be said about cowardice in avoiding issues.

Believe it or not, Amaranth went through that. Even staffers fight a long way to get a magazine printed. The university’s long processes to get our money out were very tiresome. Though some writers wanted to cover important issues, some feared bad reactions. Student leaders would taunt them. Don’t publish or else… Even advisers sanctioned articles.

So only feature articles about coffee or some alien fantasy would push through. Very irrelevant. Ay kent releyt. They ought to tell the story fearlessly, you would say.

But that’s the truth. Amaranth had not always been free. Not always been fearless.

Today, we take pride that our magazine is the best in Region 8. We boast of award-winning student journalists like our very own Vernabelle Balmori. This Foodtech major is last school year’s Journalist of the Year.

But despite our Pearl Magazine’s resounding success, despite its victory over student government mediocrity, despite all the appreciation from our readers, there is still a challenge.

This challenge is to keep the flame burning. There are many questions, like, will the Amaranth continue to be the best in our region? Will it improve? Or will it die out?

Will it retain its quality? Will it stay true to its mandate as the voice of the VSU student? Will it continue to be free?

For it to be free, we need your help. As we look back, the past 30 years of the Amaranth was a mixture of ups and downs. Our recent victories should tell us this: we should continue. We should press on.

For three decades, it’s not all the time that Amaranth was free. It was limited during Martial Law. It was abandoned during EDSA. It was hampered a number of times by faculty and staff. We sometimes find the pub at the mercy of admin staff, because they hold our money. We are even forced not to follow our charter just because VSU authorities want things their way, like holding the screening. That is a threat to press freedom, that shouldn’t get in the way.

Remember, it’s not always been free. Our prayer for the Amaranth is this: after its 30th year, it will live on. And it will live on free. Free from limiting forces. Free to express. Free to become the students’ real voice. Free to be recognized as Region-8′s best. Free to challenge conventions. Free to initiate change.

As one of the two Editors-in-Chief who served for two terms, and as its youngest ever, I take pride in seeing Amaranth free in my time as a student. I take pride that I helped free it, along with my colleagues like Ian. Their contributions are priceless. We all should thank the staff for the past few years for their efforts. Look at how Amaranth has transformed. Proud. Fearless. Undaunted. Free.

So this is my story: I am Jed and I have a voice. Amaranth.