[EU Ambassador Guy Ledoux awards Froilan Gallardo the “Philstar.com‘s Choice Award” for his story “In pursuit of Marwan, deaths in the marshland” published on mindanews.com a week after the Mamasapano Tragedy. Photo courtesy of Jimmy Domingo]

By Stephen J Pedroza

The delegation of the European Union to the Philippines lauded Filipino journalists for their outstanding reportage and community stories at the EU Peace Journalism Awards on July 8.

Former Xavier University instructor and MindaNews correspondent Froilan Gallardo received the Philstar.com's Choice Award for his piece "In pursuit of Marwan, deaths in the marshland."

The said story was published on mindanews.com a week after the tragic clash between the Philippine National Police – Special Action Force (PNP-SAF) troopers and Bangsamoro combatants in Mamasapano, Maguindanao on Jan 25.

The citation of the special award reads: “For his exemplary documentation of the aftermath of the bloody encounter in Mamasapano, Maguindanao. By telling a story from the point of view of ordinary folk, Mr Gallardo proved that hard news report published on a digital platform can contribute to the pursuit for peace."

Gallardo taught Photojournalism to Development Communication (DevCom) major in Development Journalism students at XU.

In an online post, Gallardo expressed his gratitude for this recognition. “I am very grateful to the European Union, the academe, and the judges for giving importance to my story,” he wrote.

Davao-based journalist Jefry Tupas of NewsDesk reaped the grand prize for his story "The Teachers of Raja Muda." Tupas received an all-expenses paid trip to Brussels, Belgium in September where he will meet other peace advocates and leaders. 

Other grand finalists included Jes Aznar of MindaNews and Stella Estremera of Sun*Star Davao.

EU Ambassador Guy Ledoux, Bangsamoro Transition Commission chairman Mohagher Iqbal, National Union of Journalists of the Philippines chairperson Rowena Paraan and Dr Mark Torres of the Mindanao State University's Institute for Peace and Development composed the jury of the EU Peace Journalism Awards.

Launched following the historic signing of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro, this award-giving program seeks to raise awareness on the significance of peace in its broad sense, and to acknowledge exceptional reportage on the peace process and how peace champions inspire and develop peace-building endeavors in their communities.