Power ng Pinoy TV bags the Plaridel Award for Best Television Community Reporting
San Francisco – October 6, 2014 – Power ng Pinoy TV was proclaimed winner of the coveted Plaridel Award for Best Television Community Reporting with their “Million People March” entry. The announcement was held at the Philippine American Press Club awards ceremony and gala dinner at Fort McKinley Restaurant in South San Francisco, Saturday, October 2nd.
Odette Keeley presenting the Plaridel Award to Arnold Pedrigal
Arnold Pedrigal, Founder and Producer of Power ng Pinoy TV (PnP) and Global Filipino Network (GFN), humbly received the Plaridel plaque for the team. “Wow, what an honor, just to be a finalist alongside ABS-CBN,” Pedrigal mused. “It’s really an honor for us, considering we started with a very humble, very shoestring budget, way back 2011.” He also acknowledged his team members who were at the event, citing that “TV production is a team effort so I cannot take the credit for myself”, and called on PNP’s Ricky Delos Reyes, co-Producer and Director; Dulce Dizon, PR Director and SF Bay Area Correspondent; Ferdie Perez, Account Executive and Jun Nucum, Correspondent. He also thanked and congratulated Alyssa Libao, Power ng Pinoy’s co-Host and Los Angeles Correspondent, who flew all the way to the Philippines to cover the “Million People March”. Not present at the awards night was Anthony Rivero, the show’s main host.
Power ng Pinoy TV’s broadcast of “Million People March” in Luneta on August 26, 2013 covering hundreds of thousands of Filipinos who protested the controversial “Pork Barrel Fund Scam”, won the top prize in its category, Best Television Community Reporting. ABS-CBN’s expose of Lim-Napoles family real estate records revealing ownership of four California properties, received the Honorable Mention award.
Power ng Pinoy, a 30-minute documentary program which began airing on GMA Pinoy TV in 2011, played a pivotal role to the rise of this rally when ‘a Facebook page entitled “Abolish Pork Barrel” was created by Arnold Pedrigal and Bernardo Bernardo (activist and popular actor and celebrity) in the Power ng Pinoy Facebook page to invite participants to protest. It stemmed from Ito Rapadas’ original Facebook status post of protesting the pork barrel fund mess with a Million People March. The Facebook status said, “what we need is a MILLION PEOPLE MARCH by struggling Filipino taxpayers- a day of protest by the silent majority that would demand all politicians and govt. officials (whatever the political stripes, color they may carry) to stop pocketing our taxes borne out from our hard work by means of these pork barrel scams and other creative criminal acts’. Peachy Rallonza-Bretaña reposted it as a call to action with a date and a place to it, Luneta, August 26 – which “snowballed at a great speed”. Several other rallies were also held in other cities in the Philippines as a result of this initial event. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Million_People_March)
The “Million People March” coverage, hosted by Alyssa Libao, was a historical event demonstrating the power of the masses as they rallied to protest the Pork Barrel Scam and to stop government corruption once and for all. Power ng Pinoy interviewed several Filipino protesters from all walks of life, from the affluent to the poor – doctors, television and media personalities, journalists, students, and even children, who, at their tender age, already understand the wrongful deeds of politicians who continuously abuse their stature in the government and rob the Filipino people of their hard-earned income for personal gain. Power ng Pinoy was in the midst of these people, providing the television medium in which their united voice was heard and their outrage over the scandal was expressed. Luis Oquinena, Executive Director of Gawad Kalinga quoted Cardinal Tagle as stating that “bawat isa sa atin ay may pananagutan” (each one of us is accountable). Every Filipino can help change the state of the nation in his own way and this rally was proof that there is still hope for the Philippines.
With the “Million People March” YouTube posting and publication on its website and popular Facebook page, Power ng Pinoy TV also brought this event to concerned Filipinos’ homes all over the world who could not go back home to participate and support in person. It was indeed a march heard around the world.
Power ng Pinoy TV thanks the Plaridel Awards for recognizing the team’s hard work. The Plaridel Awards was launched in 2012 to celebrate the work of Filipino American journalists as they chronicle the lives of their kababayans in the US or the communities they live in. “Plaridel” was the pen name coined by 19th Century Filipino hero and expat-publisher Marcelo del Pilar, who pursued his career as a journalist while in exile.
At the ceremony, Esther Chavez, PAPC President, noted that the Plaridel awards is gaining more traction as they received three times more entries in this, it’s third year, than the initial year. She also looks forward to seeing more entries from Fil-Am journalists all over the US next year. Entries must have been published in a bona-fide media company. Entry Guidelines and other information can be found at www.papcusa.org/plaridel-awards. Rick Rocamora, acclaimed Filipino Photojournalist, used his own work as an example to encourage more journalists to present their coverage with compelling pictures.
Power ng Pinoy Team (L-R) Ricky Delos Reyes/Co-Producer and Director, Arnold Pedrigal/Founder and Producer, Dulce Dizon/PR Director & SF Bay Area Correspondent, Ferdie Perez/Account Executive
San Jose’s Azenith Smith, KTVU general assignment reporter, was the keynote speaker, who shared her personal experience from starting out as an intern to landing her dream job at KTVU. Consul General Henry S. Bensurto, Jr. also spoke about the synergy between the consulate and the press club. “Torch Bearer Award” was presented to two outstanding leaders in the community – Philippine Tourism Director for the San Francisco North West Area, Rene de los Santos and Rudy Asercion, executive director of the WestBay Pilipino Multi-Service Center. “Outstanding Community Service through radio broadcasting” posthumous award was presented to the widow of Robert Henry, East West Radio Host, who passed away this year.
The emcees for the evening were father and daughter tandem: Ness and Caroline Ocampo – host and producer of the Filipino American Network Radio that produced the FilAm Now – FilAm Ngayon.
Plaridel Awards winners were:
Positively Filipino garnered five crystal wedge trophies:
- Best Feature Writing Award: Ken Kashiwahara, former ABC TV Anchor, “Ninoy’s Final Journey”
- Best International Reporting, Entertainment Story: Mila de Guzman, “Indie With a Mission”
- Best Sports Story: Joseph Bautista of Escabo Daan Martial Arts, “A New Path Through Eskabo Daan”
- Best Personal Story: Lotis Key, “White Men Can’t Jump Start”
- Best Profile Writing: Titchie Tiongson, “The Thoroughly Modern Sofia de Veyra”
Philippine News and The FilAm LA won two categories:
- Best Investigative or In-depth Story: Neil Gonzalez, “A Force in State’s Energy Battles Part
- Best Food Story: Cherie Querol Moreno, “Adobo May Have French Roots”
The FilAm L.A., one year old online gazette, won two categories:
- The Best Youth Voice: Lawrence Ochoa, “Some Things Stand the Test of Time from the Boomers to Milliennials”
- Best Tourism Feature Story: Cecile Ochoa, “World Traveller Odette Ricasa: 247 Countries and Counting”
Atty. Ted Laguatan, a columnist of Inquirer.net, won the Best Commentary Category with his opinion piece “China’s military base in Philippine territory must absolutely be blocked.”
Joseph Lariosa, of Philippine Daily Mirror, received the Best News Story with his article on “ CHP Report: Limo Fire an Accident.”
Laurel Fantauzzo, won the President’s Choice award with her article on “How to survive a super typhoon: Batanes” which appeared on Buzzfeed.com.
Power ng Pinoy TV won the Plaridel for Best Television Community Reporting with their “Million People March” broadcast. ‘Yan ang Power ng Pinoy!
The 4th Plaridel awards is scheduled for October 8, 2015.
Media Contact
Dulce Dizon
PR Director/SF Bay Area Correspondent
Global Filipino Network/Power ng Pinoy
dulce@powerngpinoy.tv
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