Friday | November 29, 2013 | 5:30 PM
The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) once again proved its competitive edge in communication skills and management when it won two Awards of Merit during the Philippine Quill Awards 2013 held last November 11 at the Crowne Plaza Manila.
The Philippine Quill Award is considered as the country’s highest and most coveted award in business communication. Entries submitted to the Philippine Quill go through a very stringent screening process in selecting this year’s winners. The entries were evaluated by some of the country’s most respected communication professionals, practitioners and field experts.
PAGCOR’s winning entries that made it in the list of exceptional communication works were the “Matuwid na Daan sa Silid Aralan” School Building Project (under Communications Management Division and Corporate Social Responsibility category) and “The PAGCOR Insider” newsletter (under Communications Skills Division and Publications category).
Under the Communications Management Division where PAGCOR’s school building project won, entries were judged according to how well the strategic communication plans for the intended internal and external audiences were implemented. For the Communication Skills Division where “The PAGCOR Insider” was given a merit award, the entries were scored based on the exceptional execution of marketing and communication elements like editing, writing and design.
This is the second time that both projects of PAGCOR were recognized by a reputable PR/Communication association in the country. Earlier this year, the state-owned gaming agency’s school building project won an Award of Excellence while “The PAGCOR Insider” earned an Award of Merit during the 48th Anvil Awards.
PAGCOR’s school building project underscores PAGCOR’s efforts to help improve the country’s quality of education by building thousands of classrooms especially in far-flung provinces with perennial classroom shortage. It has allocated P3 billion for the project alone. The agency’s newsletter, on the other hand, is very effective tool used to communicate primarily with the employees and stakeholders of PAGCOR. It covers a variety of topics such as PAGCOR’s essential contributions to nation-building, income updates, news about the agency’s employees, as well as various events of the corporation and its Casino Filipino branches.
Maricar L. Bautista, PAGCOR’s Assistant VP for Corporate Communications said the state-owned gaming firm continues to strive for excellence in carrying out its programs that touch the lives of ordinary Filipinos. “By laying out strategic plans and adopting effective communication tools in the implementation of these programs, we are assured that these life-changing projects create a bigger impact and reach a good number of people even in remote areas,” she said.
Bautista added that the recent Quill Awards given to PAGCOR show the depth and breadth of PAGCOR’s commitment to excellence of service. “These awards serve as our inspiration to continue doing our best and strive to be exceptional in the work that we do,” she added.
Elpi Cuna, Jr., Chairman of IABC Philippines said that for an entry to be exceptional, it must meet or even exceed the minimum criteria set by the IABC. “We have a panel of really capable judges who evaluate based on the criteria set by IABC International then it is evaluated by an independent auditor. Your entries must exceed the minimum criteria because we will not only be competing locally but also internationally. Winners here can compete internationally,” he explained.
Kane Errol Chua, IABC Philippines Vice President and Philippine Quill Awards 2013 Chair said business communicators must continuously keep up with the rising standards of business communication. “Winning a top quill award is impressive. But you can’t rest on your laurels. Every year is a new battle and you must always do something to exceed your previous battle. If you get an Award of Merit this year, strive to get an Award of Excellence next time or aim higher by joining the International Gold Quill – the global standard in business communication,” Chua advised.
This year, only 181 out of the 475 entries submitted by both students and professionals in the 30th Philippine Quill Awards made it to the honor roll. Ritzi Ronquillo, IABC President and International Executive Board Director said that “with the bar raised in both quality and quantity of entries, we were able to stay true to the IABC tradition of consistently upholding excellence and breaking boundaries in communication.”
Apart from bagging two Quill Awards, PAGCOR’s TV commercial entitled “Sultan” was also adjudged as one of the four finalists for Best Public Service TV Ad in the 2013 Catholic Mass Media Awards (CMMA). PAGCOR’s television ad highlights the state-owned gaming firm’s support for the nationwide “Kasibulan Grassroots Football Program”. The TV ad is about the heart-warming story of real soldiers of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) teaching the young children of Muslim rebels in Sultan Kudarat how to play football.
To qualify as a finalist for the CMMA, entries must adhere to the criteria focusing on themes like “Love for God”, “Love for Truth”, “Respect for Natural Environment”, “Promotion of Positive Filipino Values” and “Love for Family and Life”. This year, only 200 out of the 700 entries submitted to the CMMA made it to the elite list of the award-giving body’s 2013 finalists.