RECOGNITION Inquirer correspondent Leo Udtohan (center) receives the Best in Feature Writing award from Bishop Marcelino Antonio Maralit Jr. (second from right) and organizers of the first Cebu Metropolitan Catholic Mass Media Awards on Sunday. 鈥擬ary Grace Oberes
CEBU CITY, Philippines 鈥� Leo Udtohan, a correspondent for the Philippine Daily Inquirer鈥檚 Visayas Bureau, received top honors in the feature writing category of the first Cebu Metropolitan Catholic Mass Media Awards (CM-CMMA) on Sunday.
Udtohan, who covers Bohol province, received the award from Bishop Marcelino Antonio Maralit Jr., chair of the episcopal commission on social communication of the Catholic Bishops鈥� Conference of the Philippines, in ceremonies at SM Seaside City here.
鈥淚 am overjoyed, humbled, and filled with immense gratitude as I received the award. This is one of the happiest moments of my life, and I want to thank the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cebu for the recognition,鈥� Udtohan said.
READ: Tourism gem rises out of Bohol quake ruins
鈥淚 shall always hold it as a beacon for anything I may be able to do in the future. I hope this will inspire me and other journalists to strive for excellence in fact-based journalism and to write more inspiring, life-changing, and positive stories,鈥� he added.
READ: Dancing in Loboc
Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma, in his message during the first CM-CMMA, stressed the importance of strengthening the family.
Outstanding work
The CM-CMMA recognizes the outstanding work of media practitioners and organizations within the ecclesiastical province of Cebu, which comprises the Archdiocese of Cebu, and the suffragan Dioceses of Dumaguete (Negros Oriental), Maasin (Southern Leyte), Tagbilaran (Bohol) and Talibon (Bohol).
For the competition, Udtohan submitted five feature stories published in the Inquirer: 鈥淭ourism gem rises out of Bohol quake ruins;鈥� 鈥淏ohol鈥檚 鈥榗hocolate princess鈥� won鈥檛 give up Pinoy cacao;鈥� 鈥淏ohol artist turns sea trash into art;鈥� 鈥淧rotecting Bohol for the next generations;鈥� and 鈥淒ancing in Loboc.鈥�
In 鈥淭ourism gem rises out of Bohol quake ruins,鈥� Udtohan highlighted how the October 2013 earthquake that devastated Bohol and its neighboring provinces in the Visayas created a natural attraction in the coastal towns of Maribojoc and Loon.
鈥淏ohol鈥檚 chocolate princess won鈥檛 give up Pinoy cacao鈥� narrated how Dalareich Polot, known as Bohol鈥檚 鈥渃hocolate princess,鈥� supports local cacao growers to create livelihood opportunities for villagers.
Udtohan, in 鈥淏ohol artist turns sea trash into art,鈥� told the story of Pedro Angco Jr., an artist from Baclayon, Bohol, who turns trash he finds in the sea into artworks depicting nature or demonstrating how God teaches people to take care of the environment.
鈥淧rotecting Bohol for next generations鈥� focused on the life and advocacy of Boholana environmental lawyer Esther Gertrude 鈥淕igi鈥� Biliran.
Udtohan, in 鈥淒ancing in Loboc,鈥� presented how Boholanos and other devotees show their devotion to La Virgen de Guadalupe de Extremadura through dancing the 鈥渂olibong kingking,鈥� a religious ritual, in Loboc, Bohol.
Udtohan, a native of Tagbilaran City, joined the Inquirer as a correspondent in 2014. He has been a stringer of GMA Integrated 黑料社 since 2001. He was a finalist for the Best Investigative Report category in the 38th Catholic Mass Media Awards in 2016.