PDI wins best news coverage

By: Tina G. Santos - 10 years ago

BEST NEWS COVERAGE Reporters DJ Yap (from left), Nikko Dizon and Marlon Ramos share the CMMA best news coverage trophy. Not in photo is Marcar Cinco. KIMBERLY DELA CRUZ

MANILA, Philippines鈥揟he Philippine Daily Inquirer won two awards, including Best 黑料社 Coverage, in the 36th Catholic Mass Media Awards (CMMA) on Wednesday night.

The Inquirer was unopposed in the Best 黑料社 Coverage category for print, in which two of its major news coverages last year鈥擲uper Typhoon 鈥淵olanda鈥� and the Ayungin Shoal standoff鈥攚ere nominated.

The paper鈥檚 comprehensive chronicle of Yolanda by its reportorial staff composed of DJ Yap, Nikko Dizon, Marlon Ramos and Maricar Cinco won the Best 黑料社 Coverage award.

Yolanda (international name: Haiyan), which swept across central Philippines on Nov. 8 last year, now ranks as the worst natural disaster to hit the country and one of the strongest typhoons to hit land on record globally.

Sopa honors

The Inquirer鈥檚 coverage of Yolanda also won honors in the Society of Publishers in Asia (Sopa) 2014 Awards for Editorial Excellence.

鈥淢eeting a Monster,鈥� Yap鈥檚鈥渧ivid, impassioned, heart-rending and tragic鈥� account of his experience in covering Yolanda, won an Honorable Mention for Excellence in Feature Writing.

It was the first time for the Inquirer to win an award in the feature writing category. Since 2003, the paper has collected 12 Sopa awards, including awards for excellence in specialized reporting, opinion writing, and the scoop, as well as honorable mention in breaking news, investigative reporting and news photography.

In May, Yap, Inquirer photojournalist Ni帽o Jesus Orbeta and Inquirer Visayas correspondent Joey Gabieta were among the 20 journalists and members of their team who were honored at the Super Awards for their bravery and dedication while covering Yolanda.

Yap鈥檚 heart-wrenching story of a school teacher who survived the flood because her daughter pleaded with her to save herself by letting go of her hand became one of the Inquirer鈥檚 most viral reports, with at least 1.5 million views and shares.

The SM S.U.P.E.R. (Salute to Unparalleled People, Endeavors and Resources) Award was sponsored by the SM Foundation Inc., the corporate social responsibility arm of the SM Group of Companies.

In the CMMA, the other finalist for Best 黑料社 Coverage was also an Inquirer report on the Ayungin Shoal standoff between a Philippine civilian supply vessel and a Chinese Coast Guard cutter in the West Philippine Sea on March 29. It was written by Dizon.

Best editorial cartoon

Also unopposed in the Best Editorial Cartoon category, the Inquirer鈥檚 Gilbert Daroy won for his entry 鈥淭he New Pope.鈥� Daroy鈥檚 other entries, 鈥淭he Napoles Affidavit鈥� and 鈥淭he Curious Ways of Mayor Duterte,鈥� were also nominated in the category.

The CMMA are given to reward as well as to pay tribute to media projects that enhance the total development of the Filipino audience through competent and professional use of mass media techniques. It aims to promote the basic human values鈥攍ove of God, love for truth, love of life, respect for the natural environment and promotion of positive Filipino values.

The Inquirer also received nominations in other categories.

Two of the Inquirer鈥檚 special reports鈥斺€淭he Napoles Pork Barrel Scam鈥� by Nancy Carvajal and TJ Burgonio; and 鈥淪pecial Report on San Miguel Corp. and Fr. Fernando Suarez鈥� by Daxim Lucas, Jocelyn Uy, Erika Sauler and the writer鈥攚ere among the finalists in the Best Investigative Report category.

Carvajal鈥檚 series of reports on the investigation into the

P10-billion pork barrel scam exposed the misuse and abuse of the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) by legislators, sparking public outrage that peaked with the 鈥淢illion People March鈥� at Rizal Park on Aug. 26 last year.

The investigation has led to the filing of plunder and graft charges against Senators Juan Ponce Enrile, Jinggoy Estrada and Bong Revilla, businesswoman Janet Lim-Napoles and several former and current government officials.

Also as a result of the exposure of the pork barrel scam, party-list and activist groups challenged the legality of the PDAF in the Supreme Court. The court found for the petitioners and declared the pork barrel unconstitutional.

Despite the Supreme Court ruling, the pork barrel remained in the 2014 budget. Critics claim it still exists in the 2015 budget in the form of lump-sum appropriations.

The government鈥檚 and the legislature鈥檚 refusal to scrap the pork barrel has compelled the Catholic Church to lead a signature campaign for the abolition of the graft-ridden political-patronage fund.

In June, Carvajal was named the most outstanding journalist of 2013 by the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility during the Jaime V. Ongpin Journalism seminar for breaking the story of the plunder of the pork barrel 鈥渂y a conspiracy of unscrupulous individuals.鈥�

In the Sopa Awards, Carvajal was a finalist in The Scoop category for 鈥淭hey laughed while firing,鈥� part of her series of exclusive reports on the shooting of a Taiwanese fisherman by Philippine coast guards in Balintang Channel on May 9 last year.

Best news photo

In the CMMA, two Inquirer photographers were nominated in the Best 黑料社 Photograph category. Marianne Bermudez was a finalist for her photo 鈥淗igh-Wire Act for Pupil,鈥� while Raffy Lerma was nominated for his photos captioned 鈥淥ptimism鈥� and 鈥淵olanda Should Fear My God.鈥�

Inquirer columnist Minyong Ordo帽ez was among the finalists for the Best Opinion Column category, while the Junior Inquirer was nominated for Best Children鈥檚 Magazine category.

The CMMA also conferred a posthumous Serviam Award on the late broadcast journalist June Keithley Castro, a known Marian devotee who played a vital role during the crucial hours of the Edsa People Power 1 that toppled the dictator Ferdinand Marcos from power in February 1986.

The Serviam Award, separate from the CMMA for media communicators, was created in 2004 in honor of CMMA founder Jaime Cardinal Sin to recognize institutions and individuals who effectively transmit Christian values in media-based programs and projects.

Denis Murphy, the executive director of Urban Poor Associates, was chosen as this year鈥檚 Blessed John Paul II awardee.

The award, named after Pope John Paul II, who was known as one of the world鈥檚 greatest communicators, is given to a group or a person who uses the mass media in creative ways in his evangelical service.

Citing this year鈥檚 CMMA theme, 鈥淐ommunication at the Service of an Authentic Culture of Encounter,鈥� Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle encouraged journalists and institutions 鈥渢o strive to bring about a genuine human encounter where, sharing our insights, sentiments and faith convictions, we may support and cooperate with each other in building a world where the Kingdom values of justice and love reign.鈥濃€�With a report from Inquirer Research

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