PCIJ elects Carmela Fonbuena as new executive editor

From PCIJ.org

MANILA, Philippines — Beginning the first day of 2021, the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) will have a new executive editor.

The PCIJ, on its website on Thursday, announced that Carmela S. Fonbuena will assume the new role of executive editor.

Fonbuena will succeed veteran journalist Malou Mangahas, who has been at the helm of PCIJ for 11 years. Mangahas retired as executive editor in early 2020.

As per the PCIJ’s announcement, Fonbuena has been a seasoned journalist herself for 17 years, as she worked for local and foreign news organizations.  Aside from this, she is the author of four books focusing on Philippine elections, and has just launched her latest book “Marawi Siege: Stories from the Front Lines.”

In 2007, Fonbuena won first prize in the Jaime Ongpin Awards for Excellence in Journalism, the PCIJ  said.

The new PCIJ executive holds a journalism degree from the University of the Philippines-Diliman, where she graduated cum laude. She also holds a master’s degree in Political Communication (with distinction) from Cardiff University as a Chevening scholar in the United Kingdom, with a focus on the impact of political and public opinion surveys.

JPV