DG lauded for health tech reporting at PAGLAUM Awards

By Joseph Bernard A. Marzan and Mariela Angella Oladive

Daily Guardian’s insightful coverage of health technology has been recognized at the 2nd PAGLAUM Media Excellence Awards, with reporter Rjay Zuriaga Castor receiving the Most Promising Healthcare News for Print accolade.

Castor’s piece on a novel menstrual cycle tracking app, “Oky For You, Oky For Me,” which offers a gamified and user-friendly approach to menstrual health education, was deemed the best among five finalists.

The awards, bestowed by The Medical City Iloilo, celebrate outstanding healthcare communication in Community Action, Mental Health and Well-Being, Healthcare Innovations, and Global Health Challenges.

Mariela Angella Oladive, also from the Daily Guardian, was a finalist with her feature on the “PROJECT ATIPAN,” an AI-driven healthcare initiative for Indigenous Peoples.

Oladive’s story also involves a launch, this time of an internationally-funded project by the University of San Agustin’s Center for Informatics, centered on pandemic or epidemic preparedness and mental health efforts in highly-vulnerable Indigenous Peoples/Indigenous Cultural Communities (IPs/ICCs) via artificial intelligence (AI).

Francis Allan L. Angelo, Daily Guardian editor-in-chief, was also a finalist for the Most Inspiring Healthcare News award in the Print category for his piece, “First Patient to Receive Breast Cancer Vaccine Shares Health Journey”, focusing on the first recipient of a breast cancer vaccine in a trial by the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, United States of America.

Dr. Eugenio Jose F. Ramos, President of TMC Iloilo, commended the media’s pivotal role in health communication, underscoring the power of language in effecting change and improving national health.

“When we talk about how to change things and improve the health of the nation, we use many ways, but this is really all about communication. Language is what separates humans from other animals, and this is where you all excel,” Ramos added.

This year’s PAGLAUM awards, which coincided with TMC Iloilo’s 114th anniversary, underscore the expanding relationship between health sectors and media in fostering public health awareness.

Looking to the future, TMC Iloilo intends to include new categories in film and documentary by recognizing academic contributions in healthcare communication.

The PAGLAUM Media Excellence Awards are honors initiated by The Medical City Iloilo, which recognizes the efforts of media organizations and personnel and content creators who have contributed to communicating health care.

This year’s honors centered on 4 focus healthcare areas including Community Action, Mental Health and Well-Being, Healthcare Innovations, and Global Health Challenges.

This recognition comes closely on the heels of the Daily Guardian’s recent accolade as Outstanding Community Newspaper for Stories on Health Innovation and Collaboration, awarded by the Philippine Press Institute during its 60th anniversary.