MAKATI CITY SunStar Pampanga’s multi-awarded reporter Ian Ocampo Flora won yet another award in the 11th Bright Leaf Journalism Awards 2017 for Tobacco Story of the Year.

This is Flora’s fourth award from the award body as he already won in the 7th Bright Leaf Journalism Awards 2013 for Best Agriculture Feature Story and Tobacco Story of the Year for the 9th Bright Leaf Journalism Awards and 10th Bright Leaf Journalism Awards in 2015 and 2016 respectively.

Flora is one award short to qualify for the Oriental Leaf Award and become part of the Bright Leaf Hall of Fame. His entry this year titled “Gourmet Oil, Bio diesel and Organic Pesticide: The Future of Processed Tobacco” won for Flora the Tobacco Story of Year Category.

Flora was awarded a trophy, Ipad and cash prize at the Fairmont Hotel in Makati City over the weekend. The event was attended by Bright Leaf winners and mass media practitioners from Metro Manila and other provinces with Senator Cynthia Villar as guest speaker.

Flora will join other winners in an Asian trip next year as part of the prize for the award.

Launched in 2007, the Bright Leaf Agriculture Journalism Awards is the premier competition that seeks out the most important agriculture stories and honors the journalists behind them. It is a competition for published stories, radio segments, television features, and photographs, which created awareness on the most current agricultural issues and the best farming practices on environmental care, safety, and crop sustainability.

Flora’s article discusses the bright prospects for processing tobacco into gourmet oil for food consumption and bio diesel as alternative and environment friendly alternative car fuel. The article also discusses the use of tobacco dust as farm organic pesticide and the effects that these products would have on farmers and the industry.

Flora said that the award inspires him to do more in terms of community reporting.

Flora has been the recipient of recognitions and citations from non-government organizations, like Quota and Rotary, for his community reporting.

lora was awarded with the Provincial Board (PB) Resolution 3115 in 2013 and Resolution 4109 for his contributions to community journalism.

Aside from the PB citation, Flora was also given a similar recognition by the Municipal Council of Sta. Rita and the Municipal Government of Porac for his community reporting.

Aside from being a local reporter, Flora is also a college professor and book editor. Flora is a graduate of AB Communication Arts from Holy Angel University and has a Masters Degree in English Language and Literature Teaching. He is currently finishing his studies for a Doctorate Degree in Educational Management. Aside from being a reporter, Flora is SunStar Pampanga’s resident society columnist covering topics on food, travel, community events and culture. (JTD)