LUCENA CITY—Media men here welcomed the selection of a colleague as one of this year’s recipients of the “Quezon Medalya ng Karangalan” (QMK) award bestowed on model citizens of the province.
Ronilo Dagos, chair of the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) Quezon chapter, said the selection of Fernando Sanga, more popularly known as “Dindo Amparo,” veteran news reporter-anchor of ABS-CBN, as one of 11 QMK awardees was a recognition of the media’s important role in society.
“Now, the contribution of journalists in society is being given its due recognition,” Dagos said.
The NUJP-Quezon chapter nominated Sanga in the annual search honoring the late President Manuel Luis M. Quezon whose 133rd birthday will be celebrated on Aug. 19.
Dagos invited the Quezon media community to witness the QMK awarding ceremony on that date. Lawyer Vicente Joyas, head of the 16-member QMK awards committee, said the awarding will be held at the Quezon Convention Center after the wreath-laying ceremony at the monument of Quezon in nearby Perez Park.
Sanga said he shares the award with media men in Quezon province “who have also become an important link for an honest and efficient delivery of public service.”
He started his media career in 1987 as reporter of Radyo ng Bayan in Lucena City and became ABS-CBN news bureau chief in Dubai from 2005 to 2010.
The Quezon provincial council announced the list of this year’s QMK awardees on Aug. 8.
Aside from Sanga, the other awardees include Dr. Gerardo Carmelo Salazar (medicine), Prosecutor General Claro Arellano (government service), Rodrigo Monterey Sr. (agriculture-research and education), Romeo Caparros (civil structural engineering), Audit Commissioner Heidi Mendoza (government service), Dr. Edna Estifania Co (public administration and good governance), Judge Aurora Roman (law), Dr. Leonardo Patron (health, philanthropy, community and public service), Pilar Almira (health administration) and Gloria Ramallosa (education, arts and letters).