GMA News Online bags two prizes at the 1st U.P. Science Journalism Awards

The 1st University of the Philippines Science Journalism Awards was held on Saturday at the Mass Communication Film Studios in UP Diliman, where GMA News Online bagged two awards and one finalist certificate.

For her story “Palawan group sounds alarm on toxic pollutant in Malampaya Waste Water” published in GMA News Online, Angelica Yang won the Best Science News Story Category.

Meanwhile, Mikael Angelo Francisco also bagged an award for GMA News Online. He won the Best UP Science Story Category for the story “Blue crab mentality: Sustaining a billion-peso industry”.

GMA News Online writers Angelica Yang and Mikael Angelo Francisco holding up their Abueva-designed trophies. Photo courtesy of Christine Yang

Former Scietech editor Timothy James Dimacali was also recognized that evening as finalist for Best Science News Story and for his work in science journalism in the country.

In her keynote remarks, Professor Clarissa C. David said, “Communicating science is not really about the scientists and their work. It’s about the broader public that these scientific advances seek to serve…Science for the public good can only be realized when the science is informed by communication and journalism.

"In the interdependent relationships between media, scientific, political, and public agendas, journalism provides the mechanism for surfacing that which is important, giving signals and recognition to scientists, academic institutions, and funders as to which issues require the attention of scientists.”

Yang with her family and Dr. Elena Pernia, program leader of Communicating Science and Technology Research and Development at UP (CoST UP) and Professor Clarissa David. Photo courtesy of UP Science Journalism Award

She adds: “Our evolving circumstances will make good science reporting urgent and necessary. Just in these last two months I nthe news, we listening to stories about Mayon volcano, Dengvasia, the fire on Mt. Pulag, and research on Benham Rise. In the Philippines, there are many issues that require competent science reporting.

Mining, agriculture, natural disasters, conservation, health and medicine, food security and sustainability, technological innovations, and vulnerabilities to climate change are all urgenct concerns that can be brought to public attention by our top news organizations.”

There were five awards given out and 10 finalists recognized.

Francisco with Professor David and Dr. Pernia. Photo courtesy of UP Science Journalism Awards

Apart from cash prizes, each awardee received a trophy designed by the late National artist for Sculpture Napoleon V. Abueva.

Below is the complete list of winners:

• - Angelica Yang, GMA News Online, Best Science News Story
• Nef Luczon,  SunStar Cagayan de Oro, Best science Commentary for Print and Online
• Edmund Usman, Rappler, Best Science Feature Story for Print and Online
• Michael Joe Delizo ABSCBN, Best Science Story for Radio
• Mikael Angelo Francisco GMA News Online, UP Science Story

— LA, GMA News