The University of the Philippines Visayas hosted an online media briefing for the opening of nominations of its first ever BANTALA: UPV Media Excellence Awards on 27 October 2021. Project Development Assistant for Communication and Mass Media of the Office of the Chancellor, Dr. Zoilo S. Andrada, Jr., and the BANTALA Core Group Committee attended the media briefing and presented the attendees with key information about the Call for Nominations. The media briefing was attended by a breadth of journalists, and media practitioners all over Western Visayas, including those from Philippine Daily Inquirer, Daily Guardian, Panay News, Iloilo Metropolitan Times, Bombo Radyo, and RMN.
The First BANTALA: UPV Media Excellence Awards is scheduled to be held in March 2022 to recognize the excellent and responsible contributions of journalists and media practitioners in Western Visayas. The Awards also serves as an opportunity to bring journalists and media practitioners together to answer the question of the current role of media to create a positive societal impact as media influencers and agents of change in addressing the pressing issues on the weaponization of media, democratic rights, and disinformation.
Dr. Andrada said that the first ever BANTALA will be one of its kind. It will award the news stories in different media platforms of local journalists and media practitioners that are beneficial and have great impact to the lives of every Ilonggo. The Awards will look into four specific challenges of deepening participatory democracy, protecting human rights, addressing various forms of social and cultural marginalization, and fighting against disinformation.
Dr. Andrada added that the first BANTALA will give importance to local languages. Thus, excellence in writings for Hiligaynon, Kinaray-a, and Akeanon languages will be equally recognized and evaluated alongside writings in English and Filipino. This underscores the important function of media in informing and guiding communities from small cities to wide rural areas and cater to as many grassroots, developmental, and/or community journalists who fulfill media’s role as the Fourth Estate in their own territories.
Journalists and media practitioners who attended the media briefing were oriented of the contests, qualifications and requirements of the nominees, categories for nomination, mechanics, and submission of entries and deadlines.
The BANTALA Core Group Committee emphasized that story entries to be submitted for nomination must be published between 1 January 2019 to 15 December 2021 and each nominee can only submit one (1) story for each sub-category. Deadline of submission of entries is on 15 December 2021. Submitted entries will be screened and judged from January to February 2022.
UPV Chancellor Dr. Clement C. Camposano in a recorded message said: “Our commitment to defend the freedom of the press must come with a commitment to help improve the standards that define good journalism. When the institutions of constitutional government were under siege by anti-democratic forces, not only through the abusive use of the vast powers of the state but also through the weaponization of the internet and digital technology, the media must do more than just report the news. Journalists need to be self-consciously and explicitly democractic. Good journalism under these conditions should aim at preserving democracy by deepening political participation across all sectors. There must be emphasis on the protection of human rights without which the democratic process will become hollow. There is also a need to nourish this process by addressing various forms of social and cultural marginalization. Lastly, it is necessary to fight against all forms of disinformation, but especially digitally enabled disinformation. These imperatives have led the University of the Philippines Visayas to conceptualize and establish the UPV Media Excellence Awards. This is our humble contribution to the defense of press freedom.”
Chancellor Camposano also gave a short tribute to thank the late journalist and UPV alumnus Jose Jaime “Nonoy” Espina, who he credits as “the inspiration” for the awards.
The media briefing was hosted and moderated by Ms. Charmie T. Saligumba and Mr. Prabhat Ranjan B. Ubas, faculty members of the Communication and Media Studies program of the Division of Humanities.
For more information about the First BANTALA: UPV Media Excellence Awards Call for Nominations and media briefing, you may access the digital media kit through this link: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1hEldBCgzmEN8fI3BjmfJxbVBVLbaBDvI?usp=sharing
You may also visit the official BANTALA: UPV Media Excellence Awards Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/BantalaUPVMEA for posts and awards-related updates. You may reach them through email via This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
