STAR bags four major Catholic media awards

The Philippine STAR won four major prizes for journalistic excellence in the 2005 Catholic Mass Media Awards (CMMA) last Oct. 24.

On another front, three STAR reporters bagged the first "Gawad Galing Award for Biotech Journalism" in recognition of their outstanding reporting on the latest biotechnology developments in the Philippines.

At the CMMA, STAR sports columnist Joaquin Henson won in the "Best Sports Column" category of the 27th Catholic Mass Media Awards in ceremonies at the Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium at the RCBC Plaza in Makati the other night.

Vice President Noli de Castro and Archbishop of Manila Gaudencio Rosales were the guests of honor at the CMMA awarding ceremonies.

The CMMA awards were organized in 1978 by the Archdiocese of Manila.

Henson was the only finalist in the sports column category and the only unopposed winner of any category. He was cited for his sports column, "A Sporting Chance."

STAR columnist Wilson Lee Flores won the "Best Opinion Column" and the "Best Entertainment Column" awards, earning him a record five CMMA awards since 2003.

STAR Business Life columnist Bon Osorio got the "Best Business Column" award.

The STAR won the Institutional Award for "popularizing biotechnology by printing such stories, thereby helping promote public awareness and understanding of biotechnology."

Rocel Felix, who covers the agri-business beat for The STAR, won second prize, including a crystal trophy and a cash prize of P40,000. Another STAR reporter, Rhodina Villanueva, won third prize and P30,000 in cash for an article she wrote while she still at the defunct Today newspaper. She now covers the southern Metro Manila beat for The STAR.

Veteran writer Rudy A. Fernandez, STAR science and agriculture contributor, was awarded a Special Citation by the Biotechnology Media & Advocacy Resource Center (BMARC)s for his "outstanding and consistent commitment to popularizing biotech" reporting.

Another STAR contributor, Rose de la Cruz, also received a plaque of recognition as one of the nominees for the biotech journalism competition.

News editor Marichu Villanueva received the award in behalf of The STAR in ceremonies yesterday at the Club Filipino in Greenhills, San Juan.

Science and Technology Secretary Estrella Alabastro handed out the awards to the winners of the First Gawad Galing Awards.

In her brief remarks, Alabastro underscored the important contribution of the Philippine media in disseminating information and educating the people on the latest breakthroughs in biotechnology.

She said media reporting on biotechnology breakthroughs helps counter fallacies and wrong impressions of the benefits of science and technology in improving agricultural productivity to meet the food requirements of the people.

The first prize was won by Melody Agiba of The Manila Bulletin who received P50,000 in cash.

Dr. Edita Burgos, BMARC executive director, led officials in the formal launching yesterday of the First Gawad Galing Award for Biotech Journalism.

In her brief remarks, Burgos announced BMARC formally launched yesterday the Gawad Galing Awards for Biotech Journalism to become an annual event to help motivate and sustain the interest of national media in biotech reporting, and recognize the outstanding efforts of national media practitioners in disseminating biotech information.

BMARC is a consortium of the Department of Agriculture-Biotech Program, Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resources and Development (PCARRD), Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) and Biotechnology Coalition of the Philippines (BCP).