Jeruel N. Roa
Senior Lecturer
From the trailblazing batch of the UP Cebu Mass Communication program emerged future television and radio station managers, newspaper and magazine editors, tertiary communication program heads and professors, corporate communication/public relations managers, government agency information officers, social change advocates, and leaders in other communication-related fields. One of them was this lecturer who went on to earn his spurs in journalism, corporate communication, and public affairs.

As a young journalist, he wrote articles for the fledgling Vistas, The Weekly News Magazine, covering a variety of beats including sports, lifestyle, entertainment, and government. His stories included such varied topics as Cebu amateur/collegiate basketball when the gyms were still filled to the rafters; the zenith of Philippine youth football; interviews with government officials on prevailing issues – by appointment or by ambush; victims of alleged military excesses and the response of the accused; beauty contests! – from municipal to regional level - also as a judge (when candidates were still chaperoned by parents, not pageant impresarios); and international and national entertainers who came to town.

Then a long career at the Corporate Affairs Office of San Miguel Corporation followed, half of it as the company’s Advocacy Manager for Visayas and Mindanao. He was involved in vital projects of the company including the full sponsorship of the national amateur basketball league; a total approach to address multi- stakeholder issues arising from a major rightsizing initiative; the sale of a major beverage brand to a foreign investor after 70 years of operations; the inauguration and closure of various businesses, plants, and facilities; the launch of new products and brands; collective bargaining negotiations between management and labour; and the management of relationships with communities, government, media, and other stakeholders. 

Communication influences his socio-civic involvement. He is Secretary of the Board of Trustees and Founding Member of the Kapwa Ko, Mahal Ko Foundation, Inc. - Cebu, a service organization which helps provide medical care to needy patients, especially children with cancer. Its radio program “Kapwa Ko, Mahal Ko Sa Radyo” was awarded as the Best Radio Development Communication Program in the recent Metropolitan Catholic Mass Media Awards. He is a member of Autism Society Philippines and father to a person within the autism spectrum. He has served as President of the Mandaue Chamber of Commerce and Industry and was a Member of the Visayas Executive Committee of Philippine Business for Social Progress.

Jeruel N. Roa is a Lecturer in Integrated Marketing Communication in the Bachelor of Arts in Communication program, and Communication Management in the Master of Arts in Communication and Media programs. He also teaches Advertising to our program’s clients at the School of Management. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in Communication and Master in Public Affairs at UP Cebu.