Negrense Bloggers at GMEA 2017

Jojo Vito and yours truly, Sigrid Says, both members of the Negrense Blogging Society, Inc. (NBSI), won the trophies for their digital work in the recently concluded Globe Media Excellence Awards 2017 (GMEA).

This is a good year for Sigrid Says, as I received two awards at the recently concluded Globe Media Excellence Awards (GMEA) 2017 held at the Radisson Blu Hotel, Cebu City, last September 21, 2017. Meanwhile, we were billeted at the Cebu City Marriott Hotel.

• Cebu Attractions to Visit in One Afternoon

SigridSays, my social media (Facebook) account, won the Social Media Advocate of the Year award for my post, VMC Guard, where I lauded the security guard of the Victorias Milling Company (VMC) Office at Hilado Street, Capitol Shopping Center, Bacolod City for being such a happy worker. That post became viral and the guard was recognized and also awarded at VMC.

#HomeschoolinginBacolod

Meanwhile, my campaign #homeschoolinginBacolod, was judged as Social Media Campaign of the Year. It is already our 4th year of homeschooling and early last year, I thought of organizing a group of Bacolod Homeschoolers so that we can hold monthly activities for our children.

We also aim to provide support to each other, especially when times get tough. We wanted to help other families who would also like to shift to homeschooling. Thus, the Bacolod Homeschoolers Network was born, and so did the hashtag. I am so thrilled that my family could join me for the awarding in Cebu because, after all, the campaign was born because of the children. 😀

Meanwhile, I was also a finalist for Blogger of the Year category for my post, 10 Social Media Tips for Restaurants. So for me, it’s still a three-peat victory. 🙂 Fellow Negros blogger Jojo Vito of toponmylist.com bagged the coveted award. Congratulations Jo! 😀

• Read: Choosing to Homeschool our Children in the Philippines

What Now?

During the event, veteran broadcast journalist Mike Enriquez, who was the keynote speaker threw us a question, “After the awards, what?” That got me thinking.

For the longest time now, it had been my advocacy to post good news on my blog and on Facebook. It is my desire to spread information that uplifts, satisfies, encourages, and inspires. And thankfully, that has been recognized. But with or without the award, I will continue to do what I am doing.

The world has too much bad news already, at least in my little corner, there is some good news…and hope. In a related note, Mr. Enriquez enjoined everyone to delete the delineation between “traditional” and “online” media. He said that he would rather we unite and call ourselves “mainstream” media and together fight the spread of “fake news”. I am all for that. Thank you Mr. Enriquez.

Previous GMEA Year

Last year, my personal social media account Sigrid Says won the Social Media Campaign of the Year for GMEA 2016. It’s for my online campaign with the hashtag, #MorePlantsinBacolod, which I launched the other year.

I still keep posting the commercial establishments in Bacolod City that have plants and trees in their place of business. I keep doing this long after the awarding is done because it is really my desire to see more businesses putting up potted plants, trees, and pocket gardens in their places of business.

GMEA 2017 Complete List of Winners

• Reporter of the Year for Print: Cris Evert Lato Ruffolo
• Columnist of the Year: Atty. Gloria E. Ramos
• Photojournalist of the Year: Amper L. Campaña
  
• Explanatory Story of the Year for Print: Cherry Ann T. Lim
  
• Reporter of the Year for Radio: Joel P. Franco
  
• Public Affair Story of the Year for Radio: Serge C. Santillan and Jeony A. Bigay
  
• Reporter of the Year for Televisio : Alan P. Domingo
  
• Explanatory Story of the Year for Television: Reyn Nikko P. Sereno
  
• Reporter for Online News Portal of the Year: Nickolas Earl D. Tubo
  
• Social Media Advocate of the Year: Maria Sigrid Lo
  
• Blogger of the Year: Marianito Vito Jr.
  
• Social Media Campaign of the Year: Maria Sigrid D. Lo

GMEA is an advocacy of Globe Telecom that seeks to recognize traditional and online media practitioners for the value of their works based on the identified prevailing issues. All the entries undergo screening and the shortlisted entries are then judged according to merit. This project by Globe is handled by PR Works VisMin.

Shortlisted entries for GMEA 2017:

REPORTER OF THE YEAR FOR PRINT

Glenda Sologastoa – ‘Save our kids’ 1,987 child laborers in Western Visayas, Panay News
Louine Hope Conserva – Untreated water triggers algal bloom in Boracay – DENR, The Daily Guardian
Maricyn De Los Santos – RAPE CASES IN THE CITY UP BY 83%: Most victims are minors, The Daily Guardian
Carla Gomez & Nestor Burgos Jr. – One-Negros regional setup faces uncertainty; leaders await Duterte
decision, Philippine Daily Inquirer
Carla Gomez – Martial law victims hit historical revisionist, Visayan Daily Star
Marchel Espina – ‘Sa cacao, may forever’, industry executive says, Sun.Star Bacolod
Odessa Leyson – Cebu’s “Tubig Queen”: From street to stage, The Freeman
Cris Evert Lato Ruffolo – Where ‘SuGod’ means retreat and surrender for drug users, Philippine Daily Inquirer
Rona Fernandez – Boy carried sibling to school for 8 years, Sun.Star Cebu

COLUMNIST OF THE YEAR

Atty. Gloria Ramos – Wrangling on waste, Cebu Daily News
Publio Briones III – Addressing the plight of street children, Sun.Star Cebu
Isolde Amante – Fact-check like a pro, Sun.Star Cebu
Errol Gatumbato – Negros Occ. Ramsar Site needs legislation, Visayan Daily Star
Betsy Gazo – Getting stoned at Balay Bato, Sun.Star Bacolod

PHOTOJOURNALIST  OF THE YEAR

Tara Yap – SURVIVING VETERAN — World War II veteran Loreto Laru-an Lazo is one of
the awardees during the 72nd anniversary of the Liberation of Panay,
Guimaras and Romblon Islands held in Iloilo City last Saturday, Manila Bulletin
Amper Campana – Landslide, Sun.Star Cebu
Allan Cuizon – Reopened, Sun.Star Cebu
Antonio ‘Tonee’ Despojo – Running for their lives, Cebu Daily News
Andy Alvarez – A young boy sniffing rugby, Visayan Daily Star
Ronnie Baldonado – Farm roads, Visayan Daily Star

EXPLANATORY/INVESTIGATIVE STORY OF THE YEAR FOR PRINT/ONLINE

Cherry Ann Lim – After the tokhang, Sun.Star Cebu
Cherry Ann Lim and Justin Vestil – Saving Butuanon, Sun.Star Cebu
Marites Ilano, Jay Ann Ramirez, Daryl Anunciado – New King of the road, Sun.Star Cebu
Erwin Nicavera – More Negrense families considered poor – PSA, Sun.Star Bacolod

REPORTER OF THE YEAR FOR RADIO

Elena Pabiona – Pagtanum sang cacao kag coffee seeds kabahin sang Art for CCA sang
panguluhan lokal sang probinsya sang Iloilo, DYLL

Joel Franco – May kasanag ang kabuhi kun pakigbatuan ang madulom nga halit sang ilegal
nga droga, DYRI

Futch Anthony Inso – 97 ka mga tinun-an ang mo-gradwar na sa Senior High School, sa tulo ka
mga tunghaan nga gihimong pilot area sa k to 12 plus program, DYHP

Astra Zina Logarta – Commission on Human Rights nibisita sa CPDRC ug nag-imbestigar labot sa
pagpahubo sa mga piniriso atol sa greyhound operation, DYHP

Rowena Capistrano – Inahan sa Lokal kontak sa Abu Sayyaf Group nanawagan sa iyang anak nga
mossurender, DYRF

Albert Giner – Si Tatay nga sikad drayber, DYHB

Larry Trinidad – Bagman sang high profile drug personality sa Negros ginbulgar ang mga
pulis nga nagabaton sang drug payola, DYHB

Ricky Filoteo – Subpoena igapagwa sang NBI sa mga medical staff sang Regional Hospital
angot sa kamatayon sang nagabusong nga pasyente, DYHB

PUBLIC AFFAIRS STORY OF THE YEAR FOR RADIO

Elena. Pabiona – Clean Water Act, DYRI
Runelyn Jamolo – Bata, bata … ngaa naminata?, DYLL
Ruphil Banoc – Public safety with Uber, DYHP
Futch Anthony Inso – Smoking Ban, DYHP
Serge C. Santillan and Jeony A. Bigay – Iloy kag kapid nga ginabusong patay samtang confined sa Regional
Hospital, kapabayaan sang mga doktor ginatudlo sang pamilya nga rason, DYHB

REPORTER OF THE YEAR FOR TELEVISION

Chona Carreon – Baha, GMA 7 Cebu
Lou-anne Mae Rondina – Aftercare, GMA 7 Cebu
Alan Domingo – Tokhangyo, GMA 7 Cebu
Yasmin Dormido – ASEAN SOMRI in Bacolod, ABS-CBN Bacolod
Romeo Subaldo Jr. – River, ABS-CBN Bacolod

EXPLANATORY/INVESTIGATIVE STORY OF THE YEAR FOR TELEVISION

Chona C. Carreon – Plastic Ban, GMA 7 Cebu
Reyn Nikko P. Sereno – Endo (Special Report on President Duterte’s 1st 100 Days), GMA 7 Cebu
Alan P. Domingo – Basura, GMA 7 Cebu

BLOGGER OF THE YEAR

Jojo Vito – 5 Workable Technological Developments to Reduce Climate Change
Maria Sigrid Lo – 10 Social Media Tips for Restaurants
Mea Pabiona – A Closer Look Into Bullying Through a Movie
Ruben Licera – [TOP CHOICE 2016] Best Hotels to Stay in Cebu City
Marjorie Ma-ano – A LOVE LETTER TO A MOUNTAINEER
Marjo Degoro – “Liking Kawayan”: Confessions of Single Mothers
Kathy Villalon – Balay Binhi: raising kind and creative individuals
Joseph Batcagan – So You Wanna Negosyo? Stories from Ilonggo Entrepreneurs on the Front Lines
Val Caulin – The Sad Fate of Tumalog Falls

SOCIAL MEDIA ADVOCATE OF THE YEAR

Maria Sigrid Lo – VMC Guard
Jojo Vito – Lake Sebu 7 Falls Zipline
Mea Pabiona – Rent this Don Salvador Benedicto Spot for Only P750
Kristine Campana – Empty liquor bottles litter the beach in Barangay Pooc, Sta. Fe Town, Bantayan Island, Northern Cebu
Ruben Licera – Linarang
Carlo Olano – Cebu Streetfood: Chicken Proven

SOCIAL MEDIA CAMPAIGN OF THE YEAR

Maria Sigrid Lo – #homeschoolinginBacolod
The Freeman – #Love
Youth for a Livable Cebu – #BeyondBooks
Ruben Licera – #JusticeForDrey
Gloria Concepcion Moralidad – Ako Bata PH

REPORTER OF THE YEAR FOR ONLINE NEWS PORTAL

Nickolas Tubo – Guard gets college diploma after beating cancer, Sun.Star Cebu
Jay Ann Ramirez – Shoe repairman’s son to finish college as Summa Cum Laude, Sun.Star Cebu
Ador Mayol – Hope amid pain, Cebu Daily News
Marchel Espina – Ear acupuncture: Alternative treatment for drug addicts, Rappler
Carla Gomez – Sicogon reopens for tourism, Philippine Daily Inquirer
Dominique Gabriel Banaga – Serenio: NOPPO director split bribes with polic chiefs, funds totaling P1.2M affidavit explains how illegal drugs are distributed throughout the province, Watchmen Daily Journal
Louine Hope Conserva – Is W. Visayas economy ready for federalism?, The Daily Guardian
Maricyn delos Santos – ‘A REGION TO RECKON WITH’ – Tourism eyed as main economic driver by 2022, The Daily Guardian
Leonard Pineda – CineKasimanw4 bringing films to the grassroots, Philippine Information Agency