It’s an awards night like no other. The who’s who in various sectors and companies as well as their public relations agencies gather together for a night of camaraderie and sharing the joy of winning. One of the most awaited events of the year, the Anvil Awards is presented annually by the Public Relations Society of the Philippines (PRSP). The Anvil is the symbol of excellence in Public Relations for outstanding PR Programs and Tools.
The PRSP is the country’s premier organization for public relations professionals. It is a non-stock, non-profit organization established on February 19, 1957 by leading PR practitioners in the country. In its roster are practitioners who represent business and industry, government, non-profit organizations, foundations, entrepreneurs and the service sector.
The Society’s mission is to advance the practice of public relations by uniting those engaged in the profession, encouraging continuing education of practitioners, generating public confidence in the profession by promoting high ethical practice and encouraging high standards of public service, playing an active role in all matters affecting the practice of public relations, and strengthening the relationships of public relations professionals with stakeholders such as employees and clients, government at all levels, educators, media and the general public.
Aside from the Anvil, considered the Oscars of public relations practice in the Philippines, PRSP also holds three other major annual events: the National Public Relations Congress, Professional Development Seminars and Student Congress and Grand Prix Competition.
According to PRSP, the 55th ANVIL goes down in the organization’s history as the most participated edition which garnered more than 500 entries of PR Programs and Tools.
BusinessMirror champions outstanding phl development partners, clinches first gold
The trailblazing initiative of the BusinessMirror aimed at recognizing outstanding development partners of the Philippines and their best projects, won an Anvil Gold at the 55th Anvil Awards night held on February 28.
Aptly titled, “MISSION: PHL, the BusinessMirror’s Envoys & Expats Awards,” it was the lone entry from the country’s premiere business newspaper which won under international community relations. It was also the first Anvil for the paper which marks its 15th anniversary in October 2020.
The award serves a fitting tribute to the newspaper’s late founder, former Philippine Ambassador to Laos Antonio L. Cabangon Chua, who thought of the Envoys & Expats page in the BusinessMirror, as a way of recognizing the work of the Philippines’ foreign partners and allies; as well as outstanding expatriate personalities in industry and other sectors, and in nongovernment and volunteer organizations.
Later, the secrion expanded to a full-blown search and awarding for such outstanding foreign partners, notably embassies, aid agencies and projects utilizing official development assistance (ODA). A biennial search, “Mission: PHL, the BusinessMirror Envoys & Expats Awards,” had its first awarding rites on April 4, 2019 at the SM Aura.
The major awards for the first “Mission: PHL” were: the Australian Embassy for the Outstanding Development Partner government; the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) as Outstanding Development Aid Agency; and the European Union’s novel rehabilitation program for former drug users, as the Project of the Year.
Mission PHL., was among the stand-outs in this year’s Anvil Awards edition. Other programs chosen were: on sustainable livelihood program (Baslay Coffee/EDC/Page One); education/literacy (STI/Page One; Learn Smart Apps/Smart Communications); international community relations (Mission Phils./Business Mirror); consumer healthcare (Philcare Healthcards/CommSense); advocacy campaign (Outstanding Filipinos/Metrobank Foundation); financial literacy (Kaakbay Sunlife Phils.; How to be Rich Po/BPI); road safety campaign (Kaligtasan sa Daan/NLEX Corp.); internal communication (Happy Here Campaign/Telus Intl. Phils.); crisis-risk communication (Meralco Electric Co.); culture, heritage, tourism (Iloilo of Contemporary Art/Megaworld Corp.); on entrepreneurship (Digital Farmers/Smart communications); and care for the environment (Binhi/EDC).
Smart, PLDT, PayMaya PH gather 32 trophies
For their programs that help improve the lives of Filipinos worldwide, PLDT, its wireless unit Smart Communications, and mobile money and payments pioneer PayMaya Philippines were once more recognized at the recent Anvil Awards.
Among those given Gold Anvils were Gabay Guro Grand Gathering, PLDT Enterprise’s online publication Hot Joe Online, and #VoxNow Talks: An Employee Forum on Cyberbullying for PLDT; Digital Farmers Program, LearnSmart Apps Program: Enhancing Mother Tongue-Based Learning Through Collaboration and Innovation, Safe PH for Smart Millenniors, FindHer online series, TNT Giga Video 50 Summer Campaign for Smart, Don’t Pay Cash. PayMaya! Campaign, and #PayMayaPaMore: Giving Filipinos 10 million reasons to pay cashless using PayMaya.
Included in the 32 trophies is the Platinum Award — given to the most outstanding PR tool among the Gold Award winners in the same category — for PLDT’s Gabay Guro which supports and honors teachers through scholarship grants, training, livelihood, and housing among other programs.
RWM clinches 2 Silver Awards
Resorts World Manila, the integrated resort located in Newport City, opposite the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3, in Pasay City, also made it to the 55th Anvil.
“We’re always thrilled to be recognized for the things we do as part of our vision to thrill the world. Thank you to the 55th Anvil Awards for our two Silver Anvils,” RWM posted on its official FB page.
A perennial winner, RWM received Silver Anvil Award in Specialized Public Relations Program Corporate/Organizational Identity Program for Thrillmakers Creed: Vision-Mission-Values Like No Other.It also clinched another Silver Anvil Award in Public Relations Tool: Milestones for RWM: 10 Years of Thrills.
GCash bags 21 trophies
For GCash, winning the Anvil is beginner’s luck. The leading mobile wallet bagged 21 gold and silver medals –8 gold and 13 silver — in its maiden year of joining the Anvil.
GCash won the Company of the Year award for its “excellence and innovation in its public relations, digital, and marketing communications programs.”
“We are extremely humbled to be awarded by the premier award-giving body in the country, the Anvil Awards, and we are thankful that all our hard work is validated by the awards that we scored for our relatively-young organization,” GCash corporate affairs chief Ney Villasenor said.
“Receiving these awards is an affirmation that we are effectively complementing our initiatives to promote finance for all,” Villasenor added.
Image credits: Nonoy Lacza