GMA News’ online story, documentary win at Lasallian Scholarum Awards

An online feature article rallying the youth to play an active role in making local government units more accountable in providing their communities adaptation measures to climate change and a television documentary about a boy's sacrifice and selflessness in caring for his ailing grandmother were among the winners of this year's Lasallian Scholarum Awards.

The article, “Make government accountable for climate change, commissioner tells youth,” written by Anna Valmero, bagged the award for Oustanding Online Feature Story on Youth and Education.

Published on Nov. 25, 2013, barely three weeks after super typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) devastated the Visayas region, Valmero's article focused on how the effects of climate change such as typhoons, directly affects the youth population, and, in turn, how this sector of the population can demand officials of LGUs to provide disaster preparedness measures and make their communities more resilient to climate change.

The article also highlighted the importance of educating the youth about climate change and the use of social media in information dissemination.

“This online feature article masterfully brings to the fore the challenges that climate change presents to our nation, the laws that the Philippines has approved and the lost lives and materials. Counterpointing such stark reality, the writer urges the youth to hold government accountable and to harness their creative energy and idealism to bring about much needed reform and innovation,” former Congresswoman Lorna Verano, one of the judges of this year's Lasallian Awards, said of Valmero's article during the awarding ceremony held at the Makati Shangri-La Hotel on Monday.

Valmero's article appeared in GMA News Online's Science and Technology section.

It was the second year in a row a feature article published on GMA News Online won the Lasallian Scholarum Awards, since the online journalism category was added last year.

Other online nominees

Three other feature articles published on GMA News Online were also among the 10 finalists for this year's awards under the online journalism category.

“Most of the time, the youth are thought of as ambivalent to serious issues such as climate change. They actually want to help. With 40 percent of our population belonging to the youth aged 5 to 24—the next leaders of our country—it is imperative they know issues such as climate change. This early, as explained by the commissioner, they can help make accountable those who are in power right now. And being proactive like that is very important,” Valmero said.

She said that more than the recognition, the academe's recognition that the youth should get involved with the climate change issue was what the award meant to her.

“This award means a lot. For me, it signifies that the academe and those who head campus journalism papers recognize the issue of climate change should be linked to the youth. And that is a powerful shift. That is what the award represents to me,” Valmero said.

A freelance journalist, Valmero covers environment and climate change stories in the Philippines and Asia.

She recently finished a fellowship on climate change reporting with Thomson Reuters Foundation and Chinese University of Hong Kong, with lectures from UK-based Reuters veteran journalist Nicholas Phythian and Hong Kong-based journalist Veby Mega, last May 2014.



Alamat ni Dungkoy

Meanwhile, GMA News TV's “Reel Time” documentary titled “Alamat ni Dungkoy” bagged the Oustanding Televised Feature Story on Youth and Education.

Aired on Dec. 15, 2013, the documentary tells the story of Dungkoy, a ten-year-old boy, abandoned by his parents and left to take care and to provide for of his paralytic grandmother.

With no means to buy toys, Dungkoy's prized possession is a book titled “Ang Alamat ng Ampalaya”, which he repeatedly reads ever yday to amuse himself.

“This televised feature story is a heartwarming tale of kindness, resilience, selflessness and compassion as demonstrated by a very young boy, who at a young age, took it upon himself to shoulder the burden of responsibility. The video captures the complexity of the subject by highlighting the child's innocense and presents the subject with the full amount of empathy, respect and integrity,” Sen. Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara, a member of the board of judges, described the documentary during the awarding ceremony.

All of the 11 finalists for the televised feature story category came from GMA News.



Shift Happens

The Lasallian Scholarum Awards, with this year's theme “Shift happens: advocating change for youth and education,” aims to recognize journalistic pieces that promote awareness on critical issues that concerns the youth and the educational system.

“Shift happens. It's inevitable. And because we have no control over the universal forces that facilitates the shift and its occurrence, let's, therefore, make it worthwhile,” said Alexandra Madrigal Eduque in her keynote speech.

Eduque was named the world's “Outstanding Volunteer” last year by London-based global network Resource Alliance.

Sponsored by the De La Salle University's Office for Strategic Communications, the Lasallian Scholarum Awards, which started in 2004, contracted an independent media-monitoring agency for the screening of the news and features articles.

Members of the Board of Judges for this year's awards were Angara, Verano, acclaimed filmmaker Pepe Diokno, DLSU University student government president Carlo Inocencio and DLSU Office for Strategic Communications executive director Jose Mari Magpayo.

Other winners

Also winning La Sallian Scholarum Awards are:

• “No happy campers” by Niño Jesus Orbeta (Philippine Daily Inquirer) for Outstanding Published Photograph on Youth and Education
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• “Education in Asia: A region at risk?” by Curtis S. Chin and Jose Colazzo (Philippine Daily Inquirer) for Outstanding Published Feature Article on Youth and Education in a Nationally-circulated Publication.
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• “Child rights and WCST” by Michael Tan (Philippine Daily Inquirer) for Outstanding Published Column Article on Youth and Education.
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• “Struggling for words: Adjusting to basic education's new language policy” by Elise Apilado, Jan Frederick Cruz, and KD Montenegro (Ateneo De Manila University's The Guidon) for Outstanding Published Feature Article on Youth and Education in School Organ.

Winners from the professional media each received P25,000 while winners from the school organ category collectively received P15,000.

Meanwhile, Angelo Garcia (Manila Bulletin) won the grand prize of P40,000 for his feature article “Ready to race” for Oustanding Feature Story on Dela Salle University.

All the winners also received a metal sculpture by renowned artist Daniel dela Cruz. — BM/TJD, GMA News