Inquirer reporter wins LaSallian Scholarum Award

MANILA, Philippines — For highlighting the “redemptive power” of education, Inquirer reporter Krixia Subingsubing bagged on Monday the 15th Lasallian Scholarum Award for Outstanding Feature Article on Youth and Education.

Subingsubing’s win marks the fifth consecutive time that the Inquirer took home the award for this category.

Her piece, “Valenzuela youths top targets of Oplan Tokbuk,” bested nine others and tackled one of the most pressing issues in Philippine society: “How the vulnerable members of society are sometimes overlooked and underserved by the public school system.”

“The article highlights the redemptive power of pursuing an education. Through ‘Oplan Tokbuk,’ (Project Katok Para sa Magandang Bukas), an ALS (alternative learning system) program rolled out by the city of Valenzuela, at-risk and out-of-school youths are given another shot at a brighter future,” organizers said of Subingsubing’s work, which was published in Inquirer Metro in February last year.

The initiative mimics the police’s approach on the much-criticized “Oplan Tokhang” as it seeks out residents who want to continue their studies but are unable to do due to financial constraints and other personal reasons.

‘Equal access to education’

Quoting city councilor and project lead Charee Pineda, Subingsubing wrote that the program helps the city ensure that “everyone has equal access to education, especially those who cannot afford formal schooling.”

Around 3,500 out-of-school youths and adult learners have benefited from the program since its launch in November 2016.

This year, the Scholarum awards was limited to only four categories. The other categories are outstanding published feature article on youth and education in a school organ (won by The LaSallian), outstanding online feature story on youth and education (won by Regine Cabato of CNN PH) and outstanding published feature story on De La Salle University (won by Sara Grace Fojas of Manila Bulletin).