Visayas nominees for 2015 Globe Media Excellence Awards

A total of 53 entries were shortlisted for various categories of the Globe Media Excellence Awards (GMEA), the most anticipated premier award-giving body that gives recognition to excellence in journalism in central Philippines

Nominees and guests from Iloilo and Bacolod during the GMEA Appreciation Lunch in Iloilo City

The premier award-giving body which recognizes excellence in journalism from the best breed of scribes in Visayas and Mindanao, the awards pay tribute and gives recognition to print, broadcast, and digital media practitioners who have excelled in their respective fields.

Awards night for the GMEA Visayas leg will be held on September 24, 2015 at the Grand Convention Center of Cebu, to coincide with celebrations for the Cebu Press Freedom Week.

Entries were from various media organizations in Cebu, Bacolod and Iloilo. The finalists will vie for nine award categories namely: Reporter of the Year for Print, Explanatory/Investigative Story of the Year for Print/Online, Columnist of the Year, Photojournalist of the Year, Reporter of the Year for Television, Explanatory/Investigative Story of the Year for Television, Reporter of the Year for Radio, Blogger of the Year, and Social Media Advocate of the Year. There were a total of 688 entries this year compared with 522 last year.

For the print media, nominees for the Explanatory or Investigative Story of the Year for Print/Online are Cherry Ann Lim and Liberty Pinili  for “Fish in the troubled waters”; Cherry Ann Lim “Bug Slay, Nature’s Way, (both from Sunstar Cebu); Ador Vincent Mayol, “Prodigal father returns to serve”, (Cebu Daily) and Francis Allan Angelo, “Hi-tech piracy: ’Sweatshop’ call centers abound Iloilo City” (Daily Guardian).

Shortlisted for Reporter of the Year for Print were Ador Vincent Mayol, for his article“Prodigal father returns to serve” and Marian Christie Codilla, “Long-term damage seen on Bolijoon coastline” ( both from Cebu Daily); Rebelander Basilan, “Without help from neighbors, will stop gap solutions do” (Sunstar Cebu);  Carla Gomez, “Negrenses turnover for Nepal victims” (Visayan Daily Star); Betsy Gazo, “In search of the Tigwati” and  Teresa Ellera, “Flood gates opened for more investors” (both from Sunstar Bacolod ); Louine Hope Conserva, “Dam War:Indigenous People Clash over P11B mega dam” and Dolly Yasa, “BIR is killing the sugar industry” (both from The Daily Guardian); and Ime Sornito, “3 capitol execs suspended” (Panay News).

Nominees for Columnist of the Year are Atty. Gloria Ramos, “Waste pollution in our midst” and Juan Mercado, “Beggars by choice” (both from Cebu Daily); Josephus Jimenez, “A code of ethics for disaster victims and donors” (Freeman); Sammy Julian, “The serious business of governance” (Panay News); Rex Casiple,” Nov 2014 NLE Performance” (Daily Guardian); Errol Gatumbato, “The wilderness area” (Visayan Daily Star); Ver Pacete, “The Negros Sugar Story: Hacienda Tour” and Neil Honeyman, “Solar electricity woes” (both from Sunstar Bacolod).

In the category Photojournalist of the Year, shortlisted were Alex Badayos, “Out of reach” (Sunstar); Ferdinand Edralin, “Photographed from below and silhouetted against the sky, participants of the Cobra Ironman 70.3 Phils take on the appearance of a school of fish during the swimming leg of the race off the Shangri-La Mactan Resort and Spa” (Freeman); Juan Carlo De Vela, “Transcending Trash in Frolic” (Manila Bulletin); Arman Toga, “Sleepy Little Feet. Vendors and street kids making a living in an around Bacolod City public plaza also make the sprawling public place their bedroom. At 6:30 in the morning, the lazy little feet are still in slumber” (Negros Daily Bulletin); Merlinda Pedroza, “Festive” and Carla Canet, “Tenants of Manokan Country with their family and workers, light candles in prayer rites” (both from Sunstar  Bacolod); Ricky Alejo, “A Salt Maker” (The Daily Guardian); Guijo Duenas, “A teenager is skim boarding in Boracay” and Joselito Villasis, “A devotee checks the clothes of her Sto. Nino” (both from Panay News).

For broadcast media, nominees for the Explanatory or Investigative Story of the Year for TV category are Patricia Andrea Pateña, “Tusok-tusok” and King Anthony Perez, “Let’s Talk about Sex” (both from TV5); and Alan Domingo, “Uhaw” (GMA7) while nominees for Reporter of the Year for TV are Patricia Andrea Pateña, “Tusok-tusok” and Lesley Vestil, “Southern Cebu” (both from TV5); and Allan Domingo,”Uhaw” (GMA7).

For Reporter of the Year-Radio, nominees are Angelica Fay Saniel, “Sangpotanan sa kahago:Bag-Ong pansayan ug infirmary sa CPDRC” (DYAB); Astra Zina Logarta, “CPDRC inmates dunay bag-ong kapanginabuhian karon nga nagbukas na ang ilang bakeshop sulod sa prisohan” (DYHP); Rowena Capistrano, “kangitngit sa kinabuhi, dili babag aron makab-ot ang matam-is nga kabag-ohan (DYRF); Runelyn Jamolo, “Women hear the burden of the drug problem” (DYLL); Sergio Santilan, “First solar powered school in Western Visayas inaugurated” ; Albert Giner, “DepEd in Negros Occidental and Bacolod City braces for K to 12 implementation” (DYHB); and Agnes Apostol,”APEC delegates thank Bacolod and Negros Occidental’s local officials” (all from DYHB).

For digital media, nominees for Social Media Advocate of the Year are Movement for a Livable Cebu, “Syagit sa Sapa Press Statement”; Lorenzo “Insoy” Niñal, “Ibutang nato ang Cebuano language sa pop consciousness…” and Mary Narvasa, “A call for help for Trina Parane, a bone cancer patient”;  and Gladys Reyes, “Accdg to DENR, Negros Or is losing 2,400 hectares of forest a year”.

Shortlisted for the Blogger of the Year category were Vernon Joseph Go, “7 ways to conserve electricity to save money”; Leyland Romarate, “The Clearing of Mahiga”; Mary Narvasa, “Why her? Why us? Why now? A fight against cancer story”; Marianito Vito Jr., “Handicrafts for Yolanda”; Gladys Reyes, “Vanishing Treasures of Negros”; Maria Sigrid Lo, “Summer Project: DIY Barbie Dream Doll House made of Cardboard Box”.

The judges' decisions for print and broadcast categories shall be based on the following criteria: • Content (50%) Adherence to truth and responsible journalism as manifested in the accuracy, fair, and balanced presentation, and depth of reporting. • Style (25%) Ability to communicate clearly and effectively as shown by the writing style, clarity, logical presentation of issues, coherence, and fluidity of ideas. • Social Impact (25%) Involves the impact of the articles on effecting change.

For bloggers, the criteria are: • Consistency of content on the advocacy (50%) • Reader friendly presentation and design of content (20%) • Social Impact (30%). For social media advocates: • Content (50%) Consistency of content on the advocacy (50 percent) • Reader Engagement (20%) Number of Comments to the post • Social Impact (30%) Retweets, Shares, Favorites, Likes.

As in previous years, the entries explore and promote advocacies in business and entrepreneurship, information and communications technology, environment and disaster response, governance and social progress and youth and education.