SAN FERNANDO CITY Sun.Star Pampanga and Sun.Star Cebu reporters were the top awardees in this year's 9th Bright Leaf Agriculture Journalism Awards held at Sofitel Hotel recently.
Sun.Star Cebu's Cherry Ann Lim won the Agriculture Story of the Year for her piece "Beyond the Fields". “Beyond the Fields” examines the conditions that lead children to work in sugarcane farms in Cebu. It shows how education, livelihood support and social protection for their families, provided under a non-government organization and local government partnership, can help remove children from this hazardous activity deemed one of the worst forms of child labor.
Sun.Star Pampanga's Ian Ocampo Flora bagged the Tobacco Story of the Year for his article the "Potential of Tabacco Industry in Central Luzon."
The article chronicles the historical beginnings of the cultivation of tobacco in Central Luzon and its eventual establishment as one of the vital industries that shaped the country and the region's economy.
The article dwells on the past economic and social impact of tobacco in Central Luzon and juxtaposes these with the vibrant prospects for tobacco cultivation if re-introduced as an industry the region. The many development possibilities for tobacco as a major component for fertilizer, paper production and fish cultivation were also discussed.
The Bright Leaf Agriculture Journalism Awards was launched in 2007 by Philip Morris Philippines Manufacturing Inc. (PMPMI). It is today continued by PMFTC Inc. (PMFTC), the company created on February 25, 2010 through a business combination between Philip Morris Philippines Manufacturing Inc. (PMPMI) and Fortune Tobacco Corporation (FTC).
As the market leader in the Philippine tobacco industry, PMFTC is committed to bringing much needed assistance and attention to the country’s agriculture sector.
Other winning works include “Kalinga Rice Farmers See Better Days with Hybrid Rice Variety,” by Rizaldy Comanda for Best Agriculture News Story (National category); "Bumper Crop” by David Chan Leprozo of Manila Standard Today for Agriculture Photo of the Year; “In a Field of Green” by Frank Cimatu for Tobacco Photo of the Year; “Square Foot Urban Gardening: Saving Space, Saving Water, Saving Effort, Saving Earth” by Ronde Alicaya of DXCC RMN – Cagayan de Oro’s show “Straight to the Point” for Best Agriculture Radio Program or Segment; “Cateel, Davao Oriental Episode” by producer Karren Verona of ABS-CBN Davao’s show “Agri Tayo Dito” for Best Agriculture TV Program or Segment; “Baguio Encouraged to Look at Bamboo’s Several Potentials” by Hanna Lacsamana of Baguio Midland Courier for Best Agriculture News Story (Regional); “Saving Rice Varieties: One grain at a time” by Anselmo Roque of Philippine Daily Inquirer for Best Agriculture Feature Story (National); and “Ending Hunger” by Henrylito Tacio of Edge Davao for Best Agriculture Feature Story (Regional).
For this year, Mauricio Victa of Business Mirror received the Oriental Leaf Award, for winning five Bright Leaf awards: Agriculture Photo of the Year (2008) for “Soup in Salad”; Tobacco Story of the Year (2012) for “Tobacco Industry Under Siege”; and Tobacco Photo of the Year (2011, 2013, and 2014) for “My Life My Leaf,” “Sun Life Farm,” and “Leaves of Gold,” respectively.