DOUBLE WINNER Inquirer correspondent Gabriel Cardinoza holds trophies for best agriculture news story and tobacco story of the year at Sofitel on Thursday night. ARNOLD ALMACEN
His story on carabaos in Pangasinan province becoming a staple in slaughterhouses and his feature on tobacco farming won for Inquirer Northern Luzon Bureau reporter Gabriel Cardinoza two trophies in the 8th Bright Leaf Agriculture Journalism Awards on Thursday.
Cardinoza’s “Pangasinan farmers pin hopes on tobacco” won the tobacco story of the year, while his “Carabao vanishing in Pangasinan” was named best agriculture news story (national).
In 2012, Cardinoza won in the agriculture feature category for his story on weatherproof fish cages in Pangasinan.
For his latest feat, the Inquirer correspondent won P70,000, an iPad mini and a trip to Jeju Island in South Korea with eight other winners.
Road shows
Paul Riley, country president of cigarette manufacturer Philip Morris Fortune Tobacco Corp. (PMFTC), described the awards as the company’s way of raising awareness of the agriculture sector that makes up 30 percent of the Philippine labor force.
The PMFTC official said organizers received the most entries this year after holding road shows in Lucena, Cebu, Naga, Davao, Baguio, Dagupan and Vigan.
Bayen Elero-Tinga, PMFTC external affairs director, said the Cebu road show paid off as the city won three prizes on its first try, for Sun Star Cebu.
Cherry Ann Lim won best regional agricultural journalism story for her feature on integrated pest management in Dalaguete town, Cebu province, while Flornisa Gitgano won best regional agricultural news story for writing on the recent cold snap in Cebu that cost the province P26 million in damaged crops.
Overfishing
Sun Star Cebu also won the coveted agricultural story of the year award for the three-part series on overfishing in the Visayan Sea, written by Lim and Liberty Pinili.
Two major photo prizes went to Baguio City-based photographers. Harley Palangchao of Baguio Midland Courier won the agriculture photo of the year award for his shot of cabbages covered with frost in Benguet province, while Mau Victa of BusinessMirror won for tobacco photo of the year for featuring an 87-year-old tobacco leaf seller at the Baguio market.
The other winners were Henrylito Tacio of Marid Agribusiness Magazine for his feature on the Philippine swine industry, Malu Cadelina Manar of dxND Kidapawan City for best radio program on the B’laan indigenous knowledge and Karren Verona of ABS-CBN Davao for a segment on “Durian King” Emmanuel Belviz. Frank Cimatu, Inquirer Northern Luzon
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