St Scholastica’s Hildegarde awards

I learned something new last Saturday when I went to St. Scholastica’s College to receive the award together with my colleague, Luz Rimban, for VERA Files.

St. Scholastica cited VERA Files’s stories about victims of Yolanda typhoon being vulnerable to human traffickers. We thank St Scho for recognizing our contribution to the fight against human trafficking which is a modern day slavery.

The wonderful thing about St Scho’s Hildegarde Awards for Women and Media Communication is that, the awardees were not asked to apply. The Mass Communications students monitored all year round TV, Radio, Print and Online. After a thorough screening faculty members and students decide on the awardees.

Who is Hildegarde?

Online information says Saint Hildegarde (yes, she is a saint) of Bingen, Germany belonged to the Order of St. Benedictine. She was a writer, composer, philosopher, Christian mystic, Benedictine abbess, visionary, and polymath.

She was known to have visions even when she was a child. At the age of 42, Hildegard received a vision she believed to be an instruction from God, to “write down that which you see and hear.”

Another awardee was the very witty and fun Lourd de Veyra for his show “History” in TV5. In his acceptance remarks, de Veyra said he is honored to receive the award named after someone “who hallucinates.”

In their program, it was explained that the Hildegarde Awards for Women in Media and Communication , which is given during the International Women’s Month,was established in 2007 “to celebrate women’s achievements in the mass media and its allied fields.”

Atty. Charlton Jules Romero, chairperson, Mass Communication Department of St Scholastica’s College, said faculty and students alike “realize that everyday should be a day that we acknowledge a woman;s right to dignity and self-expression.”

The Hildegarde Lifetime Achievement Awardee this year is Monique Wilson, who was cited for using her talent as a stage actress and singer to improve the lot of women.

As one of the passionate spokespersons of the women’s group, Gabriela, Monque lent her voice to bringing issues to the public. She is the global director of “One Billion Rising”, an international campaign that aims to end violence against women.

Monique’s acceptance speech was touching and inspiring as she related her own personal as well as her family’s struggle against abuse and suppression.

Other awardees for Print and Online Journalism, aside from VERA Files, were Shakira Sison, Rappler for her series of essays on LGBT and Domini Torrevillas of Philippine Star for her articles on protecting women in media and film.

For television, aside from History, awardess were Salamat Dok, ABS-CBN; Titser, GMA News TV; and Bayan Ko, GMA News TV.

For Radio, Usaapang de Campanilla, DZMM; Voice of the Youth, DZIQ; and Health matters, DZUP.
For Advertising, awardees were Eden Cheese’s Damang-Dama, J. Walter Thomson; Lucky Me’s Hapag-Usapan , Publicis Jimenes-Basic; and Pantene’s Whip it, BBDO Guerrero.

On Development Communication, awardees were One Billion Rising, Gabriela; Million People March; and DOLE’s Batang Malaya, a campaign against child labor.