Manicad, Mangahas named Journalists of the Year

MANILA, Philippines - GMA News and Public Affairs’ Jiggy Manicad and Malou Mangahas were recently named Journalists of the Year (JOY), an award conferred by Metrobank Foundation, Inc. (MBFI) in partnership with Probe Media Foundation, Inc. (PMFI). Manicad and Mangahas are among the three winners in this year’s roster, besting a number of local journalists from all media platforms including television, radio, print and online.

Manicad, a senior news producer for GMA News, anchors GMA 7’s 24 Oras Weekend and Reporter’s Notebook and GMA News TV’s Quick Response Team (QRT), while Mangahas hosts GMA News TV’s Investigative Documentaries and serves as the executive director of the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ).

Joining them as this year’s winners is The Philippine STAR columnist and DWIZ radio host Jarius Bondoc.

Carrying the theme “Shaping the Nation through Powerful Storytelling,” JOY honors Filipino journalists “whose excellent storytelling has contributed to positive social change and in building the nation, and who have practiced their career in influencing and developing their audience towards constructive growth.”

The pool of nominees was narrowed down through a rigorous screening process that required each candidate to submit five of his or her best works in the past 10 years. Entries were judged based on “skills and craftsmanship, relevance of content to the community or target audience and its contribution to social positive change.”

The final board of judges was chaired by Supreme Court Chief Justice Maria Lourdes P.A. Sereno with members — Commission on Higher Education (CHEd) chairperson Dr. Patricia Licuanan; University of Santo Tomas (UST) 96th Rector Very Rev. Fr. Herminio Dagohoy; University of the Philippines (UP) System former President Dr. Emerlinda Roman; Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation president Carmencita Abella; Asian Institute of Journalism and Communication (AIJC) president emeritus and senior adviser Dr. Florangel Rosario-Braid; and UP Institute of Islamic Studies dean Prof. Julkipli Wadi.