PCIJ Wins SOPA Award for Political Dynasty Series

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The Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) has won a prestigious Award for Excellence at the 2025 Society of Publishers in Asia (SOPA) Awards for Editorial Excellence for its in-depth series on political dynasties in the Philippines.

PCIJ Executive Director Carmela Fonbuena received the honor during the SOPA Gala Dinner and Awards Ceremony held June 26 in Hong Kong.

The award-winning series began with the October 2024 report titled “Meet the ‘obese’ political dynasties of the Philippines,” released shortly after the filing of certificates of candidacy for the 2025 midterm elections.

The investigation shed light on the entrenched influence of political clans that dominate both local and national positions, offering readers a detailed view of a political landscape long criticized for undermining democratic representation.

“This is an excellent series on how family dynasties dominate politics in the Philippines,” the SOPA judges said in their official comment.

“It goes beyond the best-known examples to show how the dynamic pervades even local elections and governments,” they added.

The series won in the highly competitive explanatory reporting category, which recognizes outstanding journalism that provides clarity and depth on complex issues.

Fonbuena, who supervised the months-long reporting effort, led a team comprising editor TJ Burgonio, staff writers Guinevere Latoza and Aaron John Baluis, resident artist Joseph Luigi Almuena, and a rotating group of PCIJ interns and contributors.

The first group of interns who contributed to the early phases of the series included Angela Ballerda, Maujeri Ann Miranda, Leanne Louise Isip, Jaime Alfonso Cabanilla, Nyah Genelle De Leon, Luis Lagman, Jorene Louise Tubesa, Joss Gabriel Oliveros, and John Gabriel Yanzon.

Additional batches of interns and PCIJ contributors continued to expand the project, which has been praised for its extensive use of public data, visual storytelling, and investigative rigor.

The SOPA Awards, established in 1999, are considered among Asia’s most prestigious journalism honors, recognizing outstanding reporting across print, digital, and multimedia platforms.

In addition to the political dynasty series, PCIJ’s investigation into Grab Philippines’ pricing model was also named a finalist in the 2025 SOPA Awards.

PCIJ’s recent accolades affirm its ongoing commitment to public interest journalism that exposes power structures and promotes accountability in Philippine governance.