WINNING AGRICULTURE STORY Midland Courier staff reporter Hanna Lacsamana wins the Best Agriculture Story-regional award in the 9th Bright Leaf Agriculture Journalism Awards, which honors journalists for their compelling stories and photos that promote food sufficiency and good practices in the agriculture sector. Presenting the awards at Sofitel, Makati on Nov. 26 are Mayor Romulo Festin of San Jose, Occidental Mindoro and PMTFC Corporate Affairs Dir. Richard James Mau Victa
A Midland Courier story detailing the possibilities and potentials of bamboo as a mitigating tool for disaster-prone Baguio won in the 9th Bright Leaf Agriculture Journalism Awards.
The story entitled, “Baguio encouraged to look at bamboo’s several potentials” written by staff member Hanna C. Lacsamana won as Best Agriculture News Story-Regional category, chosen among the regional entries published in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.
She was awarded along with other winners from the print, radio, and television categories in an awards night held at Sofitel, Makati City on Thursday.
The Best Agriculture News Story-Regional is given to the writer of the news article that has brought attention to the important regional issue in agriculture.
The winning entry, published in the environment page of the Courier’s Aug. 23 issue, is an article about bamboo being considered as a main tool in reinventing Baguio City’s livelihood, aesthetic, agriculture, environment, disaster preparedness, and mitigation efforts. With Baguio’s weather and environment suitable for many species of bamboo, seen as the next timber of the 21st century, the Philippine Bamboo Foundation Inc. has been doing awareness and information campaigns in the city, recently gaining headway with the willingness of the city government to explore bamboo’s potentials.
Lacsamana is the second Midland staff member to win in the Bright Leaf awards. Last year, Midland lensman Harley Palangchao bagged the Agriculture Photo of the Year award for his front page photo, “Frostlandia.”
In 2012, he was awarded the Best Agriculture News Story-Regional for his story on the sad state of Mount Data National Park, which is seriously threatened by massive encroachment of commercial vegetable farms in its pine and mossy covers.
Four Baguio-based journalists also won awards this year. David Leprozo, correspondent of Manila Standard Today, won the Agriculture Photo of the Year; Frank Cimatu of Baguio Chronicle won the Tobacco Photo of the Year; and Rizaldy Comanda of Manila Bulletin won the Best Agriculture Story-National.
Mauricio Victa of Business Mirror was handed the Oriental Leaf Award, the Bright Leaf Awards Hall of Fame, for winning in five different categories.
Other winners are Cherry Ann Lim of SunStar Cebu – Agriculture Story of the Year; Ian Ocampo Flora of SunStar Pampanga – Tobacco Story of the Year; Ronde Alicaya of DXCC RMN, Cagayan de Oro – Best Agriculture Radio Program or Segment; Karren Verona of ABS-CBN Davao – Best Agriculture TV Program or Segment; Anselmo Roque of Philippine Daily Inquirer – Best Agriculture Feature Story-National; and Henrylito Tacio ofEdge Davao – Best Agriculture Feature Story-Regional.
The Bright Leaf Agriculture Journalism Awards acknowledges the efforts of the Filipino journalist to bring to the forefront the current issues, new best practices, safety issues, crop sustainability and many other subjects relevant to one of our country’s most important industries.
Philip Morris Fortune Tobacco Corp. President Roman Militsyn commended this year’s winners, who were chosen from more than 600 entries from all over the country and have responded to the theme, “Road to excellence.”