GMA Network bags 4 new recognitions at 20th Philippine Quill Awards

GMA Network just received four new recognitions from the recently concluded 20th Philippine Quill Awards!

Senior Vice President and Head of GMA Integrated News, Regional TV and Synergy Oliver Victor B. Amoroso and Vice President for News Programs and Specials Michelle Seva were present at the grand event held at the Marriott Grand Ballroom in Newport City, Pasay City and received the four prestigious awards on behalf of the network.

The Kapuso Network's Kapuso ng Kalikasan (KnK) project was given a merit award and recognized under the Communication Management division under Category 15: Corporate Social Responsibility.

Through KnK, GMA Network affirms its commitment to exhibiting and eliciting compassion for the environment.

The project is usually done during the inaugural activities of GMA's Kapuso Foundation, where seedlings, such as mangrove and hardwood seedlings, are planted during various tree planting activities.

Aside from this, GMA News and Public Affairs' original Spotify project, "Sounds and Stories of the Philippines," was also given an Excellence Award and recognized under the Communication Skills division's Category 21: Digital Communication/Communication for the Web.

It is a podcast project that features a collection of enchanting Filipino folktales told by veteran voiceover artist Shirley Escalante through ASMR.

Each story is accompanied by soothing sounds of nature and traditional Filipino musical instruments.

Moreover, two special features from "24 Oras" and "Saksi" were recognized under Category 22: Audio/Visual, which is also under the Communication Skills division.

In the "24 Oras" Climate Change Special Reports series, Sinking Cities, the network's flagship newscast studied the possibility of some areas sinking in water due to the intensifying effects of climate change, including sea level rise.

As of this writing, the special report has already reached over three million views online.

Lastly, late-night newscast "Saksi" received the same recognition for its Sierra Madre feature, "Importance of Sierra Madre."

The annual Quill Awards, which was launched by the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) Philippines in 2004, celebrates the communication excellence of communication practitioners.

It honors several entries from professional and student communicators which exemplified the global standards of excellent, effective, and purposeful business communication.

According to IABC Philippine Chairman Joe Zaldarriaga, the award-giving body has always been the "benchmark for global communication excellence."

"The organization will continue to push for relevant, valuable, and significant communication initiatives," he said.

IABC President Belle Tiongco added they follow the evaluation process of IABC America, ensuring that they are using a strict and objective approach.

"Kinuha rin namin 'yung rule book namin sa America, dun sa original na IABC organization sa America tapos parehong-pareho halos 'yung batayan natin at lahat ng naga-apply, merong sukatan. So, sino ang nag-ja-judge, sino ang nage-evaluate, ang tawag namin sa amin, evaluators. Mga practitioner din, usually, mga naging winners na o medyo matagal na sa industriya," she said.

[We adopted the rule book from the original IABC Organization in America and used the same criteria. Who judges the entries? We call them evaluators. They are communication practitioners, usually past winners or veterans in the industry.]

She continued, "Napakahirap din ng pinagdaanan nila, 'no? Masusing pag-evaluate sa kanilang mga plano at very objective, hindi basta-basta lang. Meron talaga kaming tinatawag na rubrics na hango namin sa America."

[Our evaluators have a tough job. They need to look into the entries objectively and critically. It cannot just be run of the mill. We really have what we can the rubrics, which we also got from the US.]

—MGP, GMA Integrated News