Pro Patria

This was one of the major points discussed during last week’s 2022 Pro Patria Journalism Awards presented by the 103-year-old Rotary Club of Manila led by RCM president Felix “Chito” Zaldariaga. “The awards were given to journalists who have an impact on society. Almost to a man, the committee rejected bloggers since the structure of discipline and peer review has not been instituted or formalized in their case,” said Dean Amado Valdez, chairman of this year’s RCM Journalism Awards Committee.

I am grateful, and happy to share I was among the awardees, along with The STAR’s Alex Magno (Geopolitics) and Joaquin Henson (Sports); GMA-7’s Sandra Aguinaldo (TV Investigative Reporting); TV 5’s Jose Roberto Alampay (Documentary); DZRH’s Deo Macalma (Broadcasting) and CNN’s Clarissa Ward (International Journalism). Veteran journalist lawyer Emiliano Jurado completed the roster of this year’s awardees. He received the Lifetime Achievement Award.

In our respective acceptance speeches, some of us highlighted the difficulties we are facing now because of fake news. Sandra said: “At GMA, while we are present on all media platforms and working hard to provide accurate information, it is unfortunate that fake news is still being spread.”

“As journalists, we are not perfect but we do our best to present accurate and fair news reports at all times. This is our way of standing our ground hoping that the public would be able to tell that with mainstream media, they get the accurate information and they see accountability in cases of shortcomings,” she added.

In my message, I said it hasn’t been easy the past years especially with so many factors trying to discredit journalists and journalism today. I said this shouldn’t be the case because journalists are not the enemy. Veteran journalist Tony Lopez, who introduced Mr. Jurado, expounded on this point, saying that journalists are perceived enemies only by wrongdoers.

Journalism, as I always say, is a reward in itself. “It’s a calling,” as the 95-year-old Mr. Jurado said. But to be recognized in these exhausting times is a bonus.

Thank you Rotary Club of Manila for the recognition. It’s an honor to be in this profession and to stand with fellow journalists on that stage last week. A great day for journalism, indeed.