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.
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 of 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.