CEBU, Philippines - After its nine nominations in the highly prestigious 2012 New York Festivals early this year, the country’s most awarded and most credible broadcast news organization, GMA News and Public Affairs, is at it again.
This time, it is the network’s flagship primetime newscast 24 Oras that has earned the nod after being nominated in the News Competition for the 24-Hour News Program category in the esteemed 52nd Monte Carlo Television Festival.
GMA’s 24 Oras is the only nominee from the Philippines and one of only two nominees from Asia for the said category, the other one being from Qatar. It will also be competing against internationally recognized news organizations such as CNN, BBC, and Al Jazeera.
Anchored by the formidable tandem of GMA News pillars Mel Tiangco and Mike Enriquez, 24 Oras was nominated for its topnotch coverage of the devastation brought by Typhoon Pedring (international name Nesat) in late September of last year.
In its coverage, 24 Oras provided an extensive, no-nonsense scope of the disaster with gripping images of a capital buffeted by strong winds that triggered a storm surge in Manila Bay. Waves as high as coconut trees lashed Roxas Boulevard and practically destroyed the Baywalk Area. The rising waters of Manila Bay also flooded the US Embassy and even inundated a five-star hotel.
But 24 Oras went beyond Metro Manila and into the center of every calamity-stricken area, from Northern Luzon to the Bicol region, through GMA News and Public Affair’s team of ace reporters.
Going beyond the usual reportage, 24 Oras served as a medium to extend help to the areas most devastated by the typhoon. Advisories about class suspensions and updates on the movement of the typhoon were also constantly given to viewers to avoid further damages and casualties.
More importantly, the newscast showcased how the Pinoy prevails in the face of adversity.
The Monte Carlo Festival, which was established by Prince Rainier III of Monaco in 1961 “to encourage a new art form, in the service of peace and understanding between men,” is considered as one of the most distinguished international award-giving bodies today.
The Monte Carlo Television Festival Awards Ceremony is slated on June at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco. (FREEMAN)