PCIJ fellow Roel Landingin
wins PopDev Media Award

Veteran journalist Roel Landingin, PCIJ fellow and Manila senior correspondent of the Financial Times of London, won on Tuesday the Population and Development (PopDev) Media Award for best investigative report for his story, “Sharp spike in Maguindanao, ARMM population a big riddle.” The award was given by the non-profit advocacy group Philippine Legislators’ Committee on Population and Development (PLCPD) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

Landingin is one of eight journalists from print, online, and broadcast media who were conferred the award for their exemplary reports on issues related to population and development in the past year.

The PCIJ published Landingin’s report on February 10, 2010 together with a video story by PCIJ multimedia desk director Ed Lingao. It exposed the inexplicable sharp spike in the population growth rate of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) between 2000 and 2007. ARMM’s growth rate in the period was triple the national average — “a statistical anomaly” according to population experts, his report said. Landingin linked this phenomenon with the possible implications on the conduct and results of the May 10, 2010 elections, and its implications on governance, particularly on the region’s share in the internal revenue allotment (IRA).

The investigative piece bested hundreds of entries for its “brave and comprehensive exposition of the demographic questions and mysteries in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao,” said the award-giving body. “The writer brought to the public’s attention the riddle and real issues to the sharp increase in the region’s population growth rate,” the body added. The award was presented by You Against Corruption and Poverty party list representative Carol Jayne Lopez and Akbayan party list representative Kaka Bag-Ao.

Aside from Landingin, the seven other journalists who were given the award were Merlina Hernando-Malipot of the Manila Bulletin (best news reportage), Fr. John J. Caroll, S.J. of the Philippine Daily Inquirer (best opinion piece), Stephanie Dychiu of GMANews.TV (best feature article), Karen Davila of The Correspondents, ABS-CBN 2 (best TV documentary), Marielle Gaceta-Catbagan and Bernadette Sembrano of Salamat Dok, ABS-CBN 2 (best magazine program), Kriz John Rosales of Manila Bulletin (best single photo), and Buck Pago of Bulatlat.com (best photo essay).

The PopDev Media Awards committee, which did the first round of screening, was composed of the PLCPD, UNFPA, Commission on Population (POPCOM), Forum for Family Planning and Development, Philippine NGO Council on Population, Health and Welfare (PNGOC), Philippine Center for Population and Development (PCPD), Asian Institute of Journalism and Communication (AIJC), Women’s Feature Service (WFS), and the Philippine Center for Photojournalism (PCP).

The judges for the print and online category were Abraham Olandres of yugatech.com, Dr. Alejandro Herrin of the UP School of Economics, and PopDev Media hall of fame awardee Rene Bartolo of the Mindanao Times. The judges for the broadcast category were Elizabeth Angsioco of the Democratic Socialist Women of the Philippines, Pinky Medina of Miriam College, UP Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Dr. Elizabeth Enriquez, freelance journalist Joel Saracho, AGHAM party list representative Angelo Palmones, and Dr. Grace Cruz of the U.P. Population Institute. The judges for the photojournalism category were Erik De Castro of Thomson Reuters, Melvin Calderon of Getty Image, and Arlene Alano of the UNFPA.