ABS-CBN’s Esguerra receives 2019 CMFR Award of Distinction; Rappler’s Evangelista is 2019 Marshall McLuhan Fellow

Christian Esguerra of ABS-CBN Corporation received from the Center for Media Freedom & Responsibility (CMFR) the Award of Distinction during the annual Jaime V. Ongpin Journalism Seminar held this year on August 29. Warren Mucci, Political and Public Affairs Counsellor of the Embassy of Canada, presented Patricia Evangelista of Rappler as the 2019 Marshall McLuhan Fellow.

The program featured a panel of seven journalists chosen on the basis of the quality of their reports in print, television and online. The seminar discussed the coverage of various issues reflected in the news in the past year, including the drug war, concerns about China’s presence in the West Philippine Sea, the mid-term elections on May 13 and corruption in government, among others.

The Embassy of Canada has sponsored the Marshall Mcluhan Fellowship, named after the Canadian communication theoretician, for 23 years. It consists of a two-week familiarization and lecture tour of Canadian media and academic organizations, and later, a lecture tour of Philippine universities under Embassy auspices and with the support of SunLife Financial, Inc.

The Marshall McLuhan Fellowship was first awarded in 1997. Twenty-one  journalists have been named as Fellows, including Sheila S. Coronel (Columbia Journalism School and Stabile Center for Investigative Journalism), Yvonne T. Chua (VERA Files), Ed Lingao (TV5), Carolyn O. Arguillas (MindaNews), and Cheche Lazaro (ProbeTV), among others.

The panelists in this year’s JVOJS were:

Christian Esguerra (ABS-CBN)

Patricia Evangelista (Rappler)

Ed Lingao (TV5)

Malou Mangahas (Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism)

Rambo Talabong (Rappler)

Jun Veneracion (GMA-7)

Chiara Zambrano (ABS-CBN)

Each panelist received a certificate of recognition and a PHP20,000.00 honorarium. Esguerra received from CMFR an additional PHP30,000 and a certificate of distinction.

These journalists join the roster of Jaime V. Ongpin Journalism Fellows, a community of journalists and media practitioners who are invited to participate in various journalism events and programs, including training in media ethics and the promotion of press freedom and responsible press practice.