(UPDATE) THE Manila Times won several awards in the broadsheet category during the 7th Gawad Pag-IBIG para sa Media awards at the Manila Hotel on Wednesday.
The publication clinched three major honors: the Kabalikat sa Pagbabalita Award, the Agap Balita Award and the Bida sa Paglathala Award.
The Kabalikat sa Pagbabalita Award was given to the Times for the highest accommodation rate of Pag-IBIG Fund press releases on its front page. The Agap Balita Award recognized the publication’s swift action in publishing Pag-IBIG Fund news items. Meanwhile, the Bida sa Paglathala Award honored the paper for having the most Pag-IBIG press releases published on its main front page and business section.
The Manila Times President and COO Blanca Mercado received the awards, along with Roda Zabat, vice president for sales and marketing, and Gemma Cuenca, senior account manager.
”While we in the media do our work not for recognition, but to serve the public with timely and meaningful information — especially on matters that affect everyday Filipino lives — being honored through the Gawad Pag-IBIG para sa Media is a deeply meaningful recognition for any newsroom,” Mercado said.
”For 127 years, The Manila Times has remained ‘Trusted since 1898,’ and we are proud to have been a platform for sharing Pag-IBIG’s milestones — from record loan releases to partnerships that promote green and affordable housing,” she added.
The Manila Times has received all three awards for the second consecutive year.
Marilene Acosta, CEO of the Pag-IBIG Fund, said the media’s work goes beyond reporting numbers.
”You help translate policies into understanding, programs into relevance and numbers into real stories of Filipino families striving for a better life,” she told members of the press during the ceremony.
Acosta announced that Pag-IBIG Fund’s total assets in 2025 reached P1.2 trillion.
”May today’s gathering remind us that when institutions and media work together, we build not just better programs, but better futures for our fellow Filipinos,” she said.
