Jaime Picornell, Life columnist of Cebu Daily News, was given an award of distinction on Thursday by the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry for his “exceptional promotion of the arts, culture and tourism through 50 years of media practice.”
The plaque was given during the Tourism Congress Night at the Marco Polo Plaza by CCCI president Prudencio Gesta accompanied by six past chamber presidents and Chamber Tourism chairperson Mila Espina.
“My role is to inform my readers which is paramount to my motivation,” said Picornell, who started writing a society column in 1963 in the Morning Times.
The byline of the honorary consul of Spain appears in three columns in CDN, where he’s been writing for almost 15 years – “Travel Bug”, “Pluperfect” and “Cult cuts”. He also writes a column in the Philippine Daily Inquirer.
The CCCI award also cited Picornell for his work as a founding member of the Arts Council of Cebu and member of the Cebu City Cultural and Historical Affairs Commission.
“You need not be an artist to be cultured,” said Picornell in his acceptance remarks.
“All it takes is appreciation of the arts and exposure to them. It is a matter of being informed. And that process is never-ending.”