MMSU student journalists and bloggers joined a few other local writers in a meeting with Malacañang Communications Undersecretary Manuel Quezon III, May 4, at the Johnny Moon Café in Laoag City.

During the meeting, Quezon responded to a wide range of questions on local issues, including mining, environmental destruction, the changing Laoag City landscape, tourism and the Paoay Kumakaway campaign, and the Iluko language. The grandson of Commonwealth President Manuel L. Quezon also encouraged the writers to access the Official Gazette, the official journal of the government.

Participants from MMSU were: Sirmata editors Michael Nacario, Sam Pajarillo, and Katya Lei Bariuan; and bloggers Glen Dave Baltazar (iamthesupergd.wordpress.com), Andromicko Garduque (ickosystem.tumblr.com), and Kenneth Mamuad (kennethics.blogspot.com). Guien Garma (guiengarma.wordpress.com), an alumnus of the LHS Science Curriculum who is now a second year development communication student at the University of the Philippines Los Baños, was also at the event coordinated by Herdy La. Yumul, CAS social sciences instructor and chief of the CMR Print Media Section.

Yumul, whose riknakem.com has been consistently cited by the Philippine Blog Awards, noted that it was the first time local bloggers have come together. He hinted about possibly organizing the Ilocos Norte Bloggers Commune, saying, “In other parts of the country, bloggers have long organized their respective societies which allow them to initiate activities and write for common causes and advocacies. Now is time to do it here.”