MANILA – The Board of Trustees of the Asian Institute of Journalism and Communication has elected Ms. Therese Patricia San Diego Torres as president today, October 14, 2024.

In her acceptance speech, Torres said she intends to continue to cultivate the values that AIJC stands for. “I am confident that we will be able to succeed.” She takes over from Ms. Olivia Celeste Villafuerte, whose term as president ended in August 2024.

Torres is the youngest to sit as AIJC president in its 44 years as a knowledge center for communication and journalism.

No less than AIJC Chairman Mel V. Velarde nominated Torres for the position, citing her ethical leadership and how she has “blossomed as the prime believer of the Institute.”

Apart from Torres, Dr. Paz Diaz, Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the AIJC Graduate School, and Ms. Ann Lourdes Lopez, Senior Director of Research, Policy and Advocacy, were also elected as members of the AIJC Board of Trustees.

Former AIJC President Ramon Tuazon said Torres is a “homegrown talent” and that this is “an opportunity to test her capacity and what she has learned from AIJC.”

Torres graduated with high distinction when she finished her master’s degree in communication management in 2012 from AIJC. Starting her career at AIJC as a research assistant, she rose from the ranks and later served as Research, Policy and Advocacy Director.

Tuazon said he is confident that Torres will continue to nurture the culture of AIJC, stepping up to the role of president with “malasakit” (empathy, care, and genuine concern for the organization and its personnel).

Torres has managed development projects at AIJC, with funding from the European Union, UNICEF, UNESCO, the British Embassy Manila, the Royal Norwegian Embassy Manila, and the Embassy of Switzerland in the Philippines. She has also authored studies on media and information literacy and the safety of journalists, which have been published by UNESCO, Nordicom, International Media Support, SAGE Publications, IGI Global, and the Public Media Alliance.

She has presented AIJC project reports and research studies in international conferences in New York, Austria, Pakistan, Russia, Norway, Thailand, and Indonesia, among others. Topics include journalist safety, gender-based attacks against women journalists, and media viability.

Torres is also a faculty member at the Miriam College Department of Communication, and secretary of the International Association of Women in Radio and Television – Philippines. (AIJC)