CDN nominated in 2 categories in PPI 2015 Civic Journalism Community Press Awards

THE Philippine Press Institute, the country’s national association of newspapers, has announced the finalists to its 2015 Civic Journalism Community Press Awards, which included Cebu Daily News in two categories.

CDN was named finalist for Best Editorial Page and for Best Edited Community Newspaper, in the daily newspaper category.

The awarding rites on June 23 will be the highlight of the institute’s 20th National Press Forum that will be held in Century Park Hotel in Manila from June 22-23.

The 2015 Civic Journalism Community Press Awards, the only awards program of its kind in the country, aims to raise the standards of journalism in the countryside and seeks to honor news organizations not only for editorial excellence but also for their role as catalysts for community development.

Now on its 20th year, the awards program will honor outstanding community (daily and weekly) newspapers in photojournalism, business and economic reporting, environmental reporting, reporting on history, arts and culture, and fisheries.

The other finalists for the Best Editorial Page are Mindanao Times, for the daily category, and Baguio Midland Courier, Bohol Chronicle and the Mindanao Cross, for the weekly category.

The same newspapers are also the other finalists for the Best Edited Community Newspaper category.

The finalists in the other categories are as follows:
Best in Fisheries reporting: (daily) The Freeman and Mindanao Times; and (weekly) Sunday Punch, Eastern Visayas Mail and Business Week Mindanao (weekly).

Best in Culture, Arts and History Reporting: (daily) SunStar Pampanga, SunStar Cebu and Mindanao Times; (weekly) The Ilocos Times, The Bohol Chronicle and the Mindanao Cross.

Best in Photojournalism: (daily) SunStar Baguio, SunStar Cebu and SunStar Davao; and (weekly) Baguio Chronicle, The Bohol Chronicle and Davao Catholic Herald.

Best in Environmental Reporting: (daily) The Freeman and SunStar Davao; and (weekly) Pahayagang Balikas (Luzon), West Leyte Weekly Express and The Mindanao Cross.

Best in Business and Economic Reporting: (daily) SunStar Cebu and SunStar Davao; and (weekly) Baguio Midland Courier, The Bohol Chronicle and Business Week Mindanao.

As it celebrates its 52nd year, PPI reaffirmed its commitment to doing its share in enhancing media’s role as a catalyst for discourse through its annual National Press Forum and membership meeting. The theme this year is “Understanding the Disputes in the West Philippine Sea.”

As the Philippines heads into a new political dispensation, much of the country is watching how President-elect Rodrigo Duterte will deal with the issue of China’s aggressive intrusion into the West Philippine Sea (or areas of the South China Sea lying within the country’s exclusive economic zone prescribed by international law).

Publishers and editors of PPI member-newspapers nationwide will convene in Manila at the Century Park Hotel for the 20th National Press Forum.

Senior Associate Justice Antonio T. Carpio, who chairs the Supreme Court’s Second Division and also the chairperson of the Senate Electoral Tribunal, will be the guest of honor and speaker.

During the forum, Jesus Dureza, three-time PPI chairman-president, will turn over the reins to the next head of the Institute as he will be joining the Duterte administration as its Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP).

Incoming Press Secretary and Chief of Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) Martin Andanar will meet the PPI members to discuss “The Malacañang Press Office and the Press.”