Journalism’s best, brightest, bravest and biggest names

The MOPC Journalism Awards have been a huge, stunning success.

On Oct. 25, at the gala event attended by journalism’s best, brightest, bravest and biggest names, 11 individuals and three major media organizations (The Philippine STAR, GMA Network and DZRH) received their MOPC Bell of Freedom and Excellence (BFE) trophies for distinguished work and singular excellence in journalism.

Journalism today is endangered, given the rise of authoritarianism, wars on many fronts, social media disinformation, COVID’s devastation and predictive artificial intelligence (AI).

Founded in 1945, the Manila Overseas Press Club is Asia’s oldest and most prestigious press club.

The MOPC Journalism Awards are significant and coveted for two reasons: One, it is the first time in the press club’s 78 years the BFE Prize was given; and two, the awardees did not apply for the honor. It is a judgement of peers, like a jury making an impartial and unbiased decision.

Weighing three kilos each, the gleaming golden bell trophies were custom-made in Italy and airlifted to Manila. The land of Ferrari, Lamborghini, Gucci, Pucci, Armani, Ducati, Botticelli and Da Vinci has the world’s best bell manufacturing technology. At the base of the trophies were inscribed for eternity the names of the awardees and the citations.

The awardees: Atty. Felipe L. Gozon, chair and CEO, GMA Network, Inc., Television Station of the Year; The Philippine STAR, under CEO Miguel Belmonte and editor-in-chief Ana Marie Pamintuan, Newspaper of the Year; Ana Marie Pamintuan, Journalist of the Year; former Supreme Court Chief Justice Artemio V. Panganiban, Journalist of the Year-Law;  DZRH, represented by Deo Macalma, Radio Station of the Year; Deo Macalma, Radio Broadcaster of the Year; Mel Tiangco, Television Broadcaster of the Year; Mike Enriquez, posthumous, Lifetime Achievement in Broadcast Journalism;

Alex Magno, PhilStar, Columnist of the Year; Dax Lucas, Inquirer, Business Writer of the Year; Luchi Cruz-Valdes, TV5, Lifetime Achievement Award; Press Secretary Cheloy V. Garafil, Distinguished Journalism and Government Service; Yoly Crisanto, Leadership in Digitalization and Advancing Journalism’s Mobile Frontiers;