JVO Awards Winners to be announced July 1

The six top winners of the 2003 Jaime V. Ongpin Awards for Excellence in Journalism (JVOAEJ) will be announced July 1 during ceremonies at the AIM Conference Center Manila in Makati City. The awarding will be preceded by the annual Jaime V. Ongpin Journalism Seminar, which will start at 9:30.

Eighteen investigative reports and explanatory stories published in 2003 have been chosen finalists in the Awards, now in their 15th year. The JVO awards had been solely for investigative reports from 1989 to 2000. This will be the third year that the explanatory report as a separate category will be recognized.

The first prize winners in each of the two categories will receive P70,000 each; the second prize P40,000 each; and the third P20,000. The remaining 12 finalists will receive P10,000 each.

The finalists and first three prize winners in each category will also receive a plaque. The first prize winner in each category will also receive travel grants in addition to the cash awards.

This will be the eighth year that the Canadian Embassy will award the Marshall McLuhan Priza, a travel study tour of Canada, for the first prize winner in the investigative report category. For the second time, the Australian Embassy will present the Australian Ambassador's Award, an observation tour of Australia, to the first prize winner in the explanatory report category.

The Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility (CMFR) which administers the Awards, in cooperation with Ateneo de Manila University with support from The Asia Foundation, organized the Jaime V. Ongpin Journalism Seminar as a venue for the announcement and awarding of the finalists and winners of the top three prizes in each category and to enable journalism students to learn firsthand from their authors how the winning reports were written.

The seminar and announcement of the winners in each category will be held at the AIM Conference Center Manila's SGV Hall (Benavidez corner Trasierra Streets, Legaspi Village, Makati City). A cocktail lunch will be served at 12 noon.

The first awards were given in 1989 to honor the late Jaime V. Ongpin, who was Secretary of Finance during the Corazon Aquino administration. A press freedom advocate, Ongpin was involved in the struggle against the Marcos dictatorship and was instrumental in harnessing public support for the restoration of democracy in the Philippines.

The 2003 finalists for the Explanatory report category are, in no particular order:

Cancer of the poor
Margarita de Pano
Newsbreak
July 7, 2003


Coco levy fund
‘Kakang-gata’ ng paggawa ng mga maliliit na magniniyog
Jim Fernando
Pinoy Weekly
July 16-22, 2003


The making of a Mindanao mafia
Jose Torres Jr.
Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism
i Magazine
January-March 2003 and
TODAY
April 9, 2003


Ang Petron, desperasyon at deregulasyon
Danilo Araña Arao
Pinoy Weekly
July 23-29, 2003


PX tuyo
Ilang-Ilang D. Quijano
Pinoy Weekly
February 26-March 4, 2003


Taxing out the Philippine auto industry
Raul C. Dancel
Philippine Daily Inquirer
May 12, 2003


Who was responsible for the IMPSA deal?
Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism
TODAY
January 15-16, 2003 and
The Philippine Star
January 15, 2003


Wills: What you need to know (and do) before dying
Jeffrey O. Valisno
BusinessWorld
July 7, 2003


The 2003 finalists for the Investigative report category are, in no particular order:


The AGILE factor
Unseen hand behind 50 laws, executive orders
Volt Contreras, Juliet L. Javellana, Elena R. Torrijos and TJ Burgonio
Philippine Daily Inquirer
March 19-23, 2003


Barbers’ cut?
Gemma B. Bagayaua
Newsbreak
October 13, 2003


BIR officials amass unexplained wealth
Tess Bacalla
Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism
Published in BusinessWorld, Cebu Daily News, Malaya, Manila Standard, The Manila Times and Sun Star Daily
May 12-14, 2003 and
Abante Tonight
May 13-14, 2003


‘Bribery thrives because talents have no skills’
TJ Burgonio
Philippine Daily Inquirer
March 5-7, 2003


Controversies hound landmark BOT law
Cathy Rose A. Garcia, Cecille E. Yap and Leotes Marie T. Lugo
BusinessWorld
April 9-11, 2003


Corruption still goes on at DepEd field offices
Yvonne T. Chua
Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism
Published in BusinessWorld, Cebu Daily News, Malaya, The Manila Times, The Philippine Star and TODAY on June 9-11, 2003


Land row grips Los Baños science, technology agencies
David L. Llorito
The Manila Times
July 14-18, 2003


San Francisco: The Arroyos’ favorite city
Miriam Grace A. Go
Newsbreak
November 10, 2003


Sins of the father
Aries Rufo
Newsbreak
February 17, 2003


Tony’s fortune
Gemma B. Bagayaua
Newsbreak
April 14, 2003

For more information, please check the JVOAEJ page or contact the JVOAEJ Secretariat, 2/F Ateneo Professional Schools Salcedo, 130 H.V. dela Costa St., Salcedo Village, Makati City

Tel. Nos.: 894-1314/894-1326