Richard Gutierrez docu Planet Philippines wins Bronze World Medal at the 2010 New York Festivals

CEBU, Philippines - “Planet Philippines,” a 2009 documentary by GMA News and Public Affairs hosted by actor Richard Gutierrez, nabbed the Bronze World Medal for Environment and Ecology at the recently-concluded 2010 New York Festivals Television and Film Awards.

The actor and environment advocate, along with "Planet Philippines" Program Manager Ella Evangelista-Martelino, flew to New York to attend the ceremonies at the American Airlines Theater in Manhattan.

“It is my first time to attend such a prestigious gathering of international journalists and artists," shares Richard. “I am honored to be here.”

“Our film was not about poverty or armed conflict or calamity. Instead it highlighted the uniqueness and the wealth of our natural resources,” says Ella Evangelista-Martelino. “We are grateful we got to show the world another side of the Philippines; this recognition from peers from across the globe is but a sweet bonus.”

More Than 30 Competing Countries

Entries from more than 30 countries were reviewed by media professionals and critics. “The NY Festivals is the first and only international awards competition that uses the internet in its judging process,” says its festival director Rose Anderson. “It is the high quality of the entries which gives the competition its value.”

“We were up against tough competition from other countries. Some of the entries for our category were obviously produced over a longer period of time, with bigger budgets,” says Martelino, who was part of this year's jury. A jury member abstains from judging works from its own company.

"Planet Philippines" explored some of the more unknown territories in the country, which is one of the world's most biologically diverse locations, with almost half of its 15,000 species of flora and fauna considered endemic. Employing high-definition cameras, the docu captured vivid colors and sounds of terrestrial and marine life.

Hotspot and Megadiversity Country

For this docu, Richard, who is also a Greenpeace Philippines member, visited a number of Philippine provinces, traveling from Isabela in Northern Luzon to Tarragona town, Davao Oriental in Mindanao, and even diving with the rarely seen thresher sharks off Malapascua Island in Cebu.

This is not the first time that Richard has engaged in this kind of project, having had his previous share of adventures and explorations after hosting environment-themed programs like GMA’s "Full Force Nature" and the network’s first-ever documentary on global warming, "Signos."

According to Conservation International, "The [Philippines] is one of the few nations that is, in its entirety, both a hotspot and a megadiversity country, placing it among the top priority hotspots for global conservation."

“Production was physically challenging and the team took a lot of training and preparation. But the footage we got was well worth every bruise and scratch,” says executive producer Angeli Guidaya-Atienza. “The documentary proved that the Philippines is an amazing piece of the planet.”