What happens before the Anak TV awards

Every December, social media goes abuzz when the Anak TV Award winners are honored, with celebrities and program heads proudly posting their awards, TV networks releasing congratulatory greetings, and fans celebrating their idols’ recognitions. But long before Anak TV trends online, there is a process.

That process took us on a seven-hour drive from Manila to Ilocos Sur and another seven hours back for the first leg of the nationwide 2026 Anak TV Media Literacy Symposium series at Saint Paul College of Ilocos Sur.

For Anak TV president Elvira Yap-Go, bringing these conversations across the country has long been part of the mission.

Under her passionate and indefatigable leadership, Anak TV, which is composed of various TV companies working together, continues to mount media literacy symposia in different parts of the country each year. She believes deeply that media shapes values and that parents must take an active role in guiding what their children watch.

The activity, which ran from 1 p.m. to nearly 6 p.m., gathered parents, teachers and students not merely to listen but to participate, as the Anak TV Awards rely on community or stakeholder engagement in determining the winners each year.

During the screening segment, participants evaluated programs, shared their views, raised concerns and voiced out what they believe is appropriate for children.

In her closing remarks, Elvira reminded the audience that while media is powerful, parents are even more so. She said, “Anuman ang sitwasyon ng inyong pamilya, mahalaga ang papel ninyo bilang magulang. Kayo ang ilaw na gumagabay sa mga bata. Being the light means guiding your children to make the right and responsible decisions on their media consumption.”

Knowledge Channel Foundation’s Danie Rose Sedilla-Cruz and I were the guest speakers for the symposium. Danie spoke first, discussing empowering content versus harmful content. She explained how algorithms, a form of artificial intelligence, observe what we consume and feed us more of the same. Media, she emphasized, becomes most meaningful when families watch together and think critically about what they see.

I followed and talked about case studies on social media hate and cyberbullying. As Anak TV vice president, I underscored that responsible content creation is only half the conversation. Responsible reacting and commenting also matter.

I shared real-world examples of how online attacks affect individuals and offered practical ways families can respond constructively and cope when faced with digital hostility. Every like, share and remark affects real people.

Danie and I did not compare notes beforehand, yet our talks complemented each other naturally, with hers focused on what we create and consume and mine on how we comment, share and engage.

Anak TV ambassadors Ayra Mariano and Joshua Dionisio added energy to the program, engaging the crowd with their entertainment numbers.

Behind the scenes, Anak TV’s ways and means head Edith del Rosario, the secretariat, and the volunteers ensured that everything ran seamlessly, from coordination to screenings and sustaining the integrity of the process.

We were warmly welcomed by school president Sr. Maria Nilda Masirag, SPC, school chaplain Msgr. Gary Noel Formoso, JDC and Sister Dahlia Corazon Dabu, SPC, who made the symposium possible. Msgr. Formoso later hosted dinner featuring Ilocos favorites such as bagnet, pinakbet, sinanglaw, pancit and empanada.

It was a straight 24 hours, from the road trip to the full afternoon of talks, participation and screenings in Ilocos Sur.

Long before the awards are presented in December, parents, students, school officials and other sectoral representatives in different parts of the country participate in Anak TV’s activities.

Anak TV is indeed the people’s voice. And that is what gives the Anak TV Awards its credibility.