Thomasian journos bring home best news documentary award in PJRC 2023
By Alexandria Grace Magno
Two Journalism seniors won the Chit Estella Journalism Student award during the Philippine Journalism Research Conference 2023 held last Friday, May 5, at the College of Mass Communication in UP-Diliman.
Former TomasinoWeb Stories Editor Wendell Quijado and Aira Bernardo brought home the best news documentary title for their entry ‘Dalawang Daan.’
Dalawang Daan follows the struggle of a 21-year-old college student to get by on the 200 pesos a day allowance while studying in Manila.
Their winning entry exposed how the 200 pesos allowance is different today compared during the pre-pandemic period when inflation was not as bad as it is now.
The producers of the said documentary told TomasinoWeb that they did not expect to win, considering that all other entries, according to them, were well-made and outstanding.
“[W]e didn’t expect to win. But we think we won because we tackled an often-overlooked issue,” Bernardo said.
Dalawang Daan focused on inflation which was discussed in terms that the viewers could easily comprehend and in a manner that is relatable to its audiences.
“The panel also made several comments about the flaws of our documentary, so we thought we had no fighting chance. But I guess our stepping stone is our story’s simplicity,” Quijado added.
Quijado also said that as the video editor and creative director of the Dalawang Daan, he made sure that the documentary’s message would be understood by different audiences.
Aside from the two Journalism seniors, four other entries of the University for the General Academic Research category also became finalists of the said event and were all recognized.
