The country’s best agriculture and environment journalists will be honored at the 2017 PAJ-SMC Binhi Awards for agricultural and environmental journalism, on March 22, 7 p.m., at the Makati Diamond Residences, Makati City, where Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel F. Piñol will be the guest of honor and keynote speaker.
The Binhi awardees will be led by the top three winners in the three major categories, namely: Agricultural journalist of the year; Environmental journalists of the year; and Agribeat reporter of the year.
Winners will each receive cash prizes, ranging from P15,000 to P50,000, and Binhi trophies from the Philippine Agricultural Journalists (PAJ) and San Miguel Corp. (SMC).
The PAJ has been conducting the Binhi Awards since 1978 to recognize the efforts of media persons covering the agriculture, environment and agrarian reform beats, including writers, editors and broadcast journalists for their reportage, agricultural publications, radio and television programs, and information campaign, said PAJ President Roman Floresca, and retired business editor of the Philippine Star.
Piñol is expected to share the Duterte administration’s food security program, particularly in achieving rice self-sufficiency in 2019, during the event.
The Department of Agriculture (DA) chief, along with Floresca, SMC AVP for corporate and media affairs Head Mary Jane Oconer Llanes, and Dr. Crispin Maslog, chairman of the five-man board of judges will hand over the cash prizes and trophies to winners of the three major and 12 minor Binhi contest categories.
More than 150 journalists and institutions joined the contest, said Noel Reyes, PAJ vice president for internal affairs and 2017 PAJ-SMC Binhi Awards committee chairman.
Aside from Maslog and Llanes, the other three judges are: Leo Deocadiz, publisher-editor of The SUN Hong Kong and former Philippine Daily Inquirer business editor; Ruben Pascual, managing director of RJP Consulting and former agricultural attache to the USA and Europe, and PhilExport COO; and Jimmy Cantor, deputy managing editor and concurrent sports editor of Malaya Business Insight.
As a prelude to the Binhi awarding ceremonies, the PAJ and SMC will bestow a posthumous award to “Ka Louie” Tabing, founding chairman of the Philippine Federation of Rural Broadcasters, and anchor of popular early morning Sa Kabukiran radio program.