UP alumni recognized with 2025 Glory Awards for excellence, impact in communication fields

Five alumni of the University of the Philippines College of Media and Communication (UPCMC) have been named recipients of the 2025 Glory Awards for bringing honor and laurels to the institution through their work.

The awardees are veteran journalist Roberto Coloma, digital market research trailblazer Melissa Abad Santos-Baron, community worker and civic leader Elena Buensalido-Mangahas, independent filmmaker Ellen Ongkeko-Marfil, and business editor-columnist Iris Gonzales.

The awards, formally known as the Gawad Gloria Feliciano, will be presented on Feb. 28, 2026 during the UPCMC annual homecoming at the Commission on Higher Education Auditorium in UP Diliman. The ceremony will be co-hosted by alumni Tuesday Vargas, RS Francisco and Kata Inocencio, with trophies designed by UP professor emeritus and alumni board member Grace Javier Alfonso.

Now in its ninth year, the Glory Awards Night presented by San Miguel Corporation is organized by the UPCMC Alumni Association and coincides with the college’s 60th anniversary.

“Our honorees exemplify excellence and impact in their fields, bringing pride to our alma mater and inspiring the UPCMC community,” said alumni association president and PTV-4 general manager Malou Choa-Fagar.

This year’s jury included former UP vice president for public affairs and past UPCMC dean Dr. Elena Pernia; Philippine Communication Society past president Dr. Lourdes Portus; professor and former Manunuri ng Pelikulang Pilipino chairperson Dr. Gary Devilles; veteran television producer Chit Guerrero; TV commercial director and 2024 Glory awardee Mandy Reyes; UPCMC dean Dr. Diosa Labiste; and former ANC and CNN Philippines news director Jing Magsaysay, representing the family of Dr. Gloria Feliciano, who led the college from 1965 to 1985.

The Glory Awards were established in 2017 to recognize alumni whose achievements in journalism, film, communication research, broadcasting, and allied fields evoke the legacy of Feliciano, the pioneering dean of UP’s mass communication program.