‘Art Borjal Award’ for media launched

In honor of the man who inspired and helped many disabled Filipinos to rise above their limitations and be the best person they can be, a group of journalists launched yesterday the first "Arturo Borjal Award," a search for outstanding media practitioners and institutions who are dedicated to uplifting the interests of persons with disabilities.

The annual award will be conferred on individuals, companies, groups or agencies in the media industry whose work and activities enhance the lives of the disabled. It was created in memory of the late STAR columnist and writer Art Borjal, who in his lifetime had made a difference in the lives of persons with physical disabilities.

Borjal, together with the late Betty Go-Belmonte and publisher Maximo Soliven, founded The STAR on July 28, 1986.

The organizer of the award, Alyansa ng may Kapansanan Pinoy (AKAP-Pinoy) said Borjal was a true role model and a good sectoral representative for the disabled.

Daylin Taleon, AKAP-Pinoy’s program manager, said Borjal was instrumental in the passage of Republic Act 7277 in 1991, the Magna Carta for Disabled Persons, "an act providing for the rehabilitation, self-development, and self reliance of disabled persons and their integration into the mainstream of society and for other purposes," when he was sectoral representative of the disabled to Congress.

AKAP-Pinoy said media can be a powerful tool in changing the public’s negative attitude towards the disabled.

Taleon said there’s a gold mine of talents that can be found in people with disabilities and particularly cited how some of them excel in the field of journalism.

"We observed that disabled people are good in the fields of broadcasting and journalism but their talents are not yet discovered. That’s why we are here to discover their potentials and help them realize these."

AKAP-Pinoy announced the nomination starts on Aug. 1 and will end on May 15 next year. The first awarding will be held on the last week of July, during the celebration of the "National Disability Prevention and Rehabilitation Week."

Persons without disabilities may also be nominated for the award, for "as long as they are supporting the cause of persons with disability."

Taleon said they aim to create a barrier-free society.

"We are trying to unite the sector right now... although the government agencies have programs for the welfare of persons with disabilities, there is no group which encourages their unification," Taleon said.

Taleon said the Art Borjal Foundation is supporting them to raise funds for this project.