VISAYAN VOICES RISE: UPV Students Named 2025 Aries Rufo Journalism Fellows

By Ma. Louiela Angela A. Mataac

Two student journalists from the University of the Philippines Visayas (UPV) have been selected as fellows for the 2025 Aries Rufo Journalism Fellowship by Rappler.

Jasmine Kris Caleza, a fourth-year BA Communication and Media Studies student and president of UPV iWrite, has consistently shown a strong commitment to responsible campus journalism.

Her leadership and advocacy for press freedom reflect the very principles the fellowship seeks to honor.

Also selected is Rey Mark Paran, a fourth-year BS Statistics student and member of Pagbutlak, the official publication of the UPV College of Arts and Sciences.

This year, nine student journalists were chosen for the program, a partnership between Rappler and the Journalism for Nation Building Foundation (JNBF).

The cohort includes five fellows from Luzon, three from the Visayas, and one from Mindanao.

UPV celebrates this achievement by Caleza and Paran, whose passion and dedication uphold the highest standards of student journalism.

Their selection in the 2025 Aries Rufo Fellowship amplifies regional voices in national conversations.

The fellowship was established in honor of the late investigative journalist Aries Rufo, known for his incisive reporting on politics, elections, religion, and justice for Rappler and Newsbreak.

The program aims to strengthen the next generation of journalists and uphold their role in shaping public discourse.

Through their work, Caleza and Paran carry forward the legacy of fearless journalism.

(Ma. Louiela Angela A. Mataac is an incoming fourth-year Communication and Media Studies student at the University of the Philippines Visayas, Miagao, Iloilo.)