5 journalists, archivist named 2019 Titus Brandsma awardees

This is a press release from Titus Brandsma Award 2019.

Journalists Ed Lingao, Christian Esguerra, and Luis Teodoro; the late Gina Lopez and Fr. James Reuter, SJ; and archivist Belinda Capul are the winners of the 2019 Titus Brandsma Awards.

The 6 winners recognized bagged the following awards:

• Leadership in Journalism – Ed Lingao, TV5
• Emergent Leadership in Journalism – Christian Esguerra, ABS-CBN News Channel (ANC)
• Leadership in Communication and Culture & Arts – Belina San Buenaventura-Capul, Philippine Information Agency (PIA)
• Freedom of the Press award – Luis Teodoro
• Leadership in Environmental Communication & Advocacy – Gina Lopez
• Lifetime Achievement award – Fr James Reuter, SJ

Ed Lingao

Lingao has been in journalism for the last 32 years, building a body of work that crosses from print to broadcast to online, and sweeping across major beats from the police beat to the Palace, from conflict in deserts and jungles, to conflicts in Congress. He started out by covering the major social, political, and governance beats before shifting focus to conflict reportage in the early 2000s. He is now busy with his wife Esther with The Laptop Project, a private initiative to bring laptops to remote and hard-to-reach schools in the countryside. The project is in honor of their late daughter Elizabeth. 

Christian Esguerra

Esguerra is recognized “for his abiding efforts to the pursuit of excellence in media reporting with his sharp analysis to interpret the meaning of events and explain the issues in the news that confront Filipinos in these difficult times. He also ‘evangelizes’ his young students by his living witness in the field he teaches that is: political journalism, media ethics and social communication.”

Belina San Buenaventura-Capul

Capul is cited “for the permanent inclusion of key historical AV documents within the UNESCO Memory of the World International Register such as the radio broadcast recording of the 1986 People Power Revolution, Belina’s free-handed labor in preserving this memory will assist the future generation of Filipinos in transforming this into a process of preserving justice in their nation and the world.”

Luis Teodoro

The Awards recognizes Teodoro for being “a journalist, editor, and journalism educator whose incisive critiques of Philippine media have inspired generations of media practitioners and scholars. Many of the latter are now established journalists, editors and media scholars who, in turn, imparted to their audience and students, the ethical principles and the professionalism of the craft of journalism that they have learned from Luis. His sharp analyses in his columns often step on the interests of the powerful and the mighty, and necessarily so as the overall thrust of his media advocacy is a democratized access to information for a learned society.”

Gina Lopez

Gina Lopez, who passed away in August, is honored as “a woman, a champion for her various advocacies like care for the environment, child protection and the disadvantage. Her empowered and spirit lead energy is an epitome of passion and love for children’s welfare and human rights.”

Fr. James Reuter, SJ

Reuter is likewise awarded for his unparalleled legacy in media, spanning decades in the field of communications, broadcasting, and media. He was an important figure in television, print, radio, and even in theater. He died at the age og 96 on December 31, 2012. 

The awardees will formally receive their Titus Brandsma awards in a ceremonial dinner on Monday, October 28, at the SM Skydome, North EDSA in Quezon City.

The Titus Brandsma awards are given to journalists for their outstanding leadership in the field and embodiment of Brandsma’s principles that guided his life as a journalist, educator, and mystic who defended press freedom and right to education. – Rappler.com