DAVAO CITY (MindaNews/09 August) – Eleven Mindanawon journalists, five of them from MindaNews, are among 18 finalists in the Red Cross Award for Humanitarian Reporting 2013.
The five finalists from MindaNews are Keith Bacongco and Bong Sarmiento for the Online Category; and Froilan Gallardo, Erwin Mascarinas and Ruby Thursday More for the Photography Category.
The Red Cross Award for Humanitarian Reporting , the second since 2011, aims to recognize stories and images “that provide excellent insight into and responsibly depict the consequences of armed conflict and armed violence on civilians.”
It also seeks to “highlight respect for human dignity amid armed violence and to promote international humanitarian law, the rules that seeks to limit, for humanitarian reasons, the effects of armed conflict.”
An initiative of the International Committee of the Red Cross, the competition is held in partnership with the Philippine Red Cross, with the support of the International News Safety Institute (Asia-Pacific office), The Peace and Conflict Journalism Network, the Philippine Center for Photojournalism and the Rotary Club of Manila.
The Award has five categories: online, print, audio/radio, video/TV and photography.
The other Mindanawon finalists are Julie Alipala, Zamboanga City-based reporter of the Philippine Daily Inquirer and Stella Estremera of SunStar Davao for Print Category; Ferdinandh Cabrera of GMA for the Video/TV category and the two finalists for the Audio/Radio Category: Ruel Dagsangan of DXDN Radyo Ukay and Malu Cadeliña Manar of DXND Radyo Bida for Audio/ Radio Category and Jeoffrey Maitem of Philippine Daily Inquirer for Photography.
Bacongco and Sarmiento are among five finalists for the Online Category, Bacongco for his “Bakwits lament living life on the run” story and Sarmiento for “The Tampakan Project: Battle over Southeast Asia’s largest copper-gold reserve.”
The other finalists for Online Category are Desiree Caluza of VERA Files for “Anti-Cellophil struggle: A continuing source of inspiration to IP;” Marya Salamat of Bulatlat.com for “Mining-ravaged Mindanao folk deliver ‘closure orders’ to mining TNCs, Chamber of Mines” and Anne Marxze Umil of Bulatlat.com for “Child rights violations under Aquino government increasing.”
Two of the three finalists for Print Category are from Mindanao: Alipala for “Peace dawns as 2 clans sign pact” and “Women take lead in bringing peace;” and Estremera for “Strides into the future.”
The other finalist in the Print Category is Celerina del Mundo of the Daily Manila Shimbun for “‘Bangsamoro’ stirs feelings of Christian, Muslims” and “People recall idyllic life in former MILF camp.”
In the Audio/Radio Category, Dagsangan is finalist for “Mga residente sa Maco, na-trauma sa giyera;” and Malu Cadeliña Manar, dxND Radyo Bida for “Tudok Firiz: Meketefu” and “Mga bakwit: TNT sa Maguindanao.”
In the Video/TV Category, Cabrera is finalist for “27 miyembro ng BIFF at 5 militar, patay sa sagupaan sa Maguindanao” and “Mahigit 23,000 residente sa 5 bayan ng Maguindanao, lumikas dahil sa bakbakan ng AFP at BIFF.”
Cabrera and Manar are also MindaNews contributors.
The other finalists are Karen Davila (host) and Karen Namora (executive producer), ABS-CBN for “Bakwit;” Eleazar del Rosario (executive producer), GMA for “Batang Halau” and Ronalyn Olea of Bulatlat.com for “Killings unabated under Aquino.”
In the Photography Category, all four finalists are from Mindanao: MindaNews’ Gallardo, Mascarinas and More and the Philippine Daily Inquirer’s Jeoffrey Maitem.
Gallardo is finalist for “Children’s Shelter,” Mascarinas for “Clash on Good Friday” and More for “Bakwit” and “Sanctuary” and Maitem for “Child in red blanket.” (MindaNews)