Cebu Daily News won the award for Best in Editorial Cartoon in the English newspaper category as adjudged by the 16th Cebu Archdiocesan Mass Media Awards (CAMMA).
The paper’s daily cartoon in the Opinion Page is conceptualized and drawn by graphic artist Renato Elevera. He also won the CAMMA for the same category in 2009.
Trophies for individuals and institutions were handed out by Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma in a ceremony last night at SM City Cebu Cinema 2.
The biennial awards recognized the best work in print, broadcast and online media that promotes human and Christian values during the period May 2011 to May 2013.
CDN was nominated for Best in Editorial Writing and Best in Editorial Cartooning.
The Freeman was cited for Best Editorial, Best Column (Fr. Roy Cimagala) and Best Feature (Archie Modequillo). Sun.Star Cebu won Best in Special Reporting.
Archbishop Palma, in a speech, congratulated Cebu’s media practitioners for being instruments of “treasuring what is good and beautiful in our culture and tradition.”
He cited the media for their contribution to evangelization, especially in covering the 2012 canonization of teenage Visayan martyr, Saint Pedro Calungsod.
Msgr. Trinidad Silva, chairman of the awards, thanked the media for providing not only information and entertainment but also an avenue for helping victims of calamities.
Media practitioners do their jobs amid the threat of harassment or even death, said Silva, who also chairs the archdiocese’s Commission on Social Communications which organizes the biennial awards.
Among those who stepped on stage to receive trophies were veteran radio and television broadcaster and columnist Leo Lastimosa of ABS-CBN.
He shared credits with TV Patrol Central Visayas for Best TV News Program.
Lastimosa was recently handed a guilty verdict in a libel case for a 2008 column he wrote criticizing then governor Gwendolyn Garcia, a case he intends to elevate on appeal.
According to CAMMA organizers, the awards recognize individuals and institutions in the media for works marked by human and Christian values.
The judges came from the academe, business, youth and religious organizations. Correspondent Jason A. Baguia