INQUIRER.net US Bureau stringers win 2017 Plaridel trophies

WATCH: 6th Plaridel Awards for Excellence in Filipino American Journalism. VIC VALBUENA BARENG

SAN FRANCISCO —  Four correspondents for INQUIRER.net US Bureau won 2017 Plaridel awards presented by the Philippine American Press Club USA (PAPC-USA) last October 5 at the newly refurbished Kalayaan Hall of the Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco.

Christian Esteban and Agnes Constante both from Los Angeles tied for Best News Story: Esteban’s “City of Carson remembers labor leader Larry Itliong” and Constante’s “California domestic workers celebrate overtime law.”

Eunice Barbara C. Novio, based in Thailand, won the Best Feature Story for her article “Lensman helping to reunite left-behind Amerasians with dads.” Victor Valbuena Bareng, INQUIRER.net’s San Francisco photographer and videographer won the Best Photo Journalism category for his story “Pacifica Pier, California: A sanctuary for local Filipino fishermen. Wendell Alinea won a Merit Award for his photos featured in Agnes Constante’s article “Pacquiao’s official lensman.”

Agnes Constante

Christian Esteban

Merit Award recipients from INQUIRER.net US Bureau were Emil Guillermo, for his opinion piece “How Trump’s business partner in PH, Jose B. Antonio, does business with Filipino Americans”; Agnes Constante won a Merit Award for Best Profile Writing with her entry “Meet Wendell Alinea, Pacquiao’s official lensman.” Constante also won the merit award under the Youth Voice category for “SF non-profit still sending poor PH kids to school after 30 years.” Under Best Sports Story, Leandre Ochoa won a Merit Award for his report “Dauntless Jordan Clarkson hurdles challenges to a bright NBA career.”

Eunice Barbara C. Novio

Vic Valbuena Bareng

The Plaridel is an annual competition highlighting excellence in Filipino American journalism among articles that have appeared in US-based Filipino American media outlets from June 1 of the preceding year to May 31 of the current year. The Plaridel is now on it’s sixth year. For the complete list of The Plaridel winners, visit https://usa.inquirer.net/7227/fil-journalists-reap-plaridel-awards-urged-fight-fake-news

Torch Bearer Awards

At every Plaridel Awards, PAPC-USA also holds the Torch Bearer Awards given to a chosen few individuals or groups for their outstanding contribution to the Filipino/American community. The categories are Community Service and Philanthropy, which was presented to Dr. Yolanda Ortega Stern, and her recently departed husband, Dr. Tom Stern, who co-founded the One World Institute 30 years ago. OWI has been providing medical and economic assistance to far flung communities in the Philippines and Cambodia all these years.

The Alvarado Project, founded and curated by Janet Alvaro received the Torch Bearer Award for Photo Journalism. The Alvarado Project exhibits Ricardo Ocreto Alvarado’s photographs, some 30,000 negatives depicting the lives of the Filipino American community in the mid-20^th century.

The newest category for the Torch Bearer Award is for Public Service which went to outgoing Deputy Consul General of San Francisco Jaime Ramon T. Ascalon, who has served his constituents in the nine states and North California (which are under the consulates area of responsibility) with distinction and unstinted fervor.

PAPC president, Esther Misa Chavez, announced that the 2018 Plaridel Awards will start receiving entries beginning June 15, 2018. Deadline for submission is on July 30, 2018. She invited all journalists of Filipino descent throughout the US to join the Plaridel Awards, and network with its members coast to coast for a more robust dialogue about issues in the growing community. For more information, visit the PAPC website at www.papcusa.org

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