JUNIOR Journo 2026 opened on Saturday, April 18, 2026, at its new venue at SM Seaside City Cebu, with more than 40 participants attending the first of four sessions on news writing led by Nestor Ramirez.
Now in its third year, the program aims to train confident, ethical, and skilled storytellers. Participants are introduced to the fundamentals of journalism, including paragraph structure and professional writing, through hands-on, output-based training designed to build a community of young journalists.
The five-month lecture series began with a News Writing Workshop led by Ramirez, a media executive with experience in newsroom leadership, academic training, and youth journalism advocacy. He has worked as a journalism educator for nearly two decades and founded SunStar’s Junior Journo program.
Over the past two years, the program has adapted to changes in digital media while emphasizing accuracy and truth in reporting.
Organizers said the move to SM Seaside City Cebu provides participants with broader learning opportunities, including coverage of sustainability efforts, cultural events, and commercial activity within the mall.
This year’s coaches include Luis Quibranza for Feature Writing, Juan Carlo De Vela for Photojournalism, Luel Galarpe for Sports Writing, Mildred V. Galarpe for TV production, and Clark Kimberly “DJ KimYat” Pasu-it for Radio Production.
SunStar Junior Journo is a youth development and media literacy initiative of SunStar Cebu that provides high school and college students with practical experience in journalism.
Irish Mae F. Sevilla / Junior Journo