Davao info officer is agri journ of the year
Communicating development and peace agenda in Mindanao is has its price to pay and rewards to reap.
Rising to the challenge is the information and advocacy team of the Mindanao Rural Development Program (MRDP), which after barely three years of heralding the achievements in Mindanao poverty-alleviation, community development and peace bags 2010 Binhi Awards of the Philippine Agricultural Journalists, Inc. (PAJ).
MRDP’s InfoACE or Information, Advocacy, Communications and Education unit won the Best Agricultural Info/Media Campaign of Year.
MRDP is the poverty-alleviation program of the national government unique to Mindanao implemented by the Department of Agriculture.
The team has engaged and run various media campaigns resulting to strong participation of its stakeholders as well as convey positive message to the general public as government’s efforts has made a dent in combating poverty and contributing to peace initiatives particularly in Mindanao .
“We are elated with the recognition. But this is not just ours, credit is also due to our friends in the media, both local and national, be it in print or broadcast and newswire agencies in the internet who have been our strong and constant partners in delivering positive news and information particularly coming from this part of the country,” said InfoACE head Noel T. Provido.
He added without the support of the media and their regional counterparts it would have been impossible for the team to achieve the feat.
The InfoACE team is composed on Noel T. Provido, the unit head; information and advocacy specialist Sherwin B. Manual; IT Specialist Ma. Lutzie E. Odtojan; and videographer Remjim V. Salido.
Further, Provido, who is also the information officer of DA regional office in Davao region, won third place in the Agricultural Journalist of the Year category.
Over P400,000 in cash prizes and trophies were given away by the PAJ which has been sponsoring the writing contest since 1978.
Other winners were Dr. Anselmo S. Roque of the Philippine Daily Inquirer, who won the first prize in the Agricultural Journalist of the Year and was also conferred the Binhi Hall of Fame Award, Agricultural Journalist of the Year, English category.
Second place in the Agricultural Journalist of the Year category was Rita dela Cruz of the DA-Bureau of Agricultural Research (BAR), who also won the Agricultural Photo Journalist award.
Neil Jerome Morales of BusinessWorld and Amy Remo of the Philippine Daily Inquirer placed first and second respectively for the Agribeat category. Nestor Cuartero of Manila Bulletin, Environment Journalist; DA-Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice), Agricultural Magazine; BAR Chronicle, Agricultural Newsletter; and Palay-Aralan sa Radyo DA-PhilRice, Agricultural Radio Program.
Now on its 28th year, Binhi Awards board of judges include Mart R. del Rosario, a former UST journalism professor as chairman; and Diego Cagahastian, news editor of the Manila Bulletin; Ray Eñano, business editor of the Manila Standard; Chito Lozada, business editor of the Daily Tribune; and Roman Floresca, agriculture and environment editor of The STAR who was also former PAJ president, as members.
