This year’s awards, themed “women change makers,” also recognizes book publisher Maria Karina Africa Bolasco and showbusiness icon Tessie Tomas. 

Given by St. Scholastica’s College, the award recognizes Varona’s journalism that brings to the forefront issues that matter.

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“Her line of work focuses on Filipinos’ everyday plight that brings to light injustices, political repression, and other social issues,” The St. Scholastica’s College said in a press statement announcing the awardees on Sunday, May 28.

“A model journalist-activist of her generation, Varona also continues to lend her voice to amplify advocacies promoting women’s rights and issues, democracy, and accountability,” it added.

Varona has worked as reporter and editor in different media organizations. She has received numerous local and international awards, including the prestigious Jaime V. Ongpin Awards for Investigative Journalism, the Reporters Without Borders’ Prize for Independence in 2018, and the 2022 Gawad Balagtas. 

Varona was also the recipient of international fellowships, including the John S. Knight Professional Journalism Fellowships in Stanford University and the Canadian government’s Marshall McLuhan Fellowship. 

Other Rapplers who previously received the Hildegarde Award were columnist Shakira Sison, then-reporters Natashya Gutierrez and Patricia Evangelista, and founder and CEO Maria Ressa.

‘Defied norms’

St. Scholastica’s College said the 2023 awardees were recognized for bravely defying norms.

“The three are all pioneers in their respective fields, and broke barriers to help build a better path for the next generation,” St. Scholastica’s College said. “These awardees bravely defied norms to put social realities at the forefront, and create more spaces for creative expression.” 

Publishing veteran Maria Karina Bolasco, director of the Ateneo University Press, is cited for “revolutionizing the field of publishing…[and helping] change the country’s once-lethargic publishing industry into a vibrant, progressive, and diverse space that inspired many books to be published by Filipinos for Filipinos.” 

Prior to joining Ateneo in 2016, Bolasco led Anvil Publishing for 26 years. Both publishing houses won Publisher of the Year awards under her watch. Bolasco received the Lifetime Achievement Award during the 40th National Book Awards in 2023.

Showbiz icon Tessie Tomas is being recognized for her “colorful showbiz career” that, the last four decades, has made use of “iconic, satirical, and controversial characters” to put forward “biting social and political commentaries.” 

“For decades, she regaled generations of Filipino audiences with her unmatched brand of comedy and flair,” St. Scholastica’s College said, citing her “brilliant works and compelling portrayal of strong-willed women characters that promoted empowerment and social change.” 

The awarding ceremony is on Tuesday, May 30.

Established in 2007, the awards celebrates excellence and achievements of women in mass media and related fields. It is named after 12th century Benedictine saint Hildegarde von Bingen. – Rappler.com

In a video posted by Princeton on Thursday, April 6, Princeton University president Christopher Eisgruber addressed the class of 2027, as he introduced the Pre-read of their batch.

“Each year, I assign book to the incoming class that many of your faculty and others on the campus will read along with you. The author of this book is special. She is a renowned international journalist Maria Ressa from the great class of 1986,” Eisgruber said.

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According to Princeton’s website, Pre-read is a Princeton tradition that “introduces first-year students to the intellectual life of the University by offering opportunities to engage with a book that is made available to students, faculty and staff.” 

After arriving in the campus, the students come together to discuss the book with its author and Eisgruber during orientation.

The Princeton Pre-read started in 2013 and has continued with a new selection each year:

• 2013 — “The Honor Code: How Moral Revolutions Happen” by Kwame Anthony Appiah
• 2014 — “Meaning in Life and Why It Matters” by Susan Wolf
• 2015 — “Whistling Vivaldi: How Stereotypes Affect Us and What We Can Do” by Claude Steele
• 2016 — “Our Declaration: A Reading of the Declaration of Independence in Defense of Equality” by Danielle Allen
• 2017 — “What Is Populism?” by Jan-Werner Müller
• 2018 — “Speak Freely: Why Universities Must Defend Free Speech” by Keith Whittington
• 2019 — “Stand Out of Our Light: Freedom and Resistance in the Attention Economy” by James Williams
• 2020 — “This America” by Jill Lepore
• 2021 — “Moving Up Without Losing Your Way” by Jennifer Morton
• 2022 — “Every Day the River Changes” by Jordan Salama

Among the battles, and advocacies, Ressa takes up in her book include exposing networks of disinformation across the globe. By drawing links from former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte’s drug war, to Brexit in the United Kingdom, Russian and Chinese cyber-warfare, Facebook, and Silicon Valley – and how these ties to individuals’ own online presence and votes, Ressa underscored the first way to combat the dangers of social media was to be aware of its pitfalls. 

Part memoir, the novel also shows Ressa charting a career by holding power to account and the path she took to get there. 

But why take an intimate tone and share her personal story, an approach often avoided by journalists? Ressa said it is because the battle for democracy had become personal.

How to Stand Up to a Dictator brings readers into Ressa’s personal thoughts and the tough questions she confronted as Rappler faced harassment and a slew of legal attacks from the Duterte administration.

As of April 2023, there are only three active court cases against Rappler and Ressa: the appeal of Ressa and former researcher Reynaldo Santos Jr. in their conviction for cyber libel pending at the Supreme Court, the lone tax case at the Pasig City Regional Trial Court, and the appeal on the closure of Rappler pending at the Court of Appeals.

Philippine media and global advocates have included these as part of attempts to stifle criticism and press freedom. – Rappler.com

For a newsroom to work free of vested interests is a powerful thing. It means we can continue reporting on important, hard-hitting issues without fear of offending anyone who might have direct power over our purse. We are able to produce award-winning stories on the drug war, online disinformation, and hold the government accountable because we are only beholden to you, our readers, and public interest. 

But as much as we want to cherish this milestone, the fast-moving times mean we need to do more. We know that the only way to make journalism sustainable in the face of the compounded challenges of our time – Big Tech gobbling up digital revenue, a declining trust in media, and dangerous disinformation – is to make community support through membership a major driver of revenue, and fast. 

This is where our readers, members, and the public come in. 

To celebrate our 50th month, a Rappler+ member volunteered to match the highest donation that will be made in the next two weeks. Together, we decided to launch a donation challenge campaign to help scale our membership and ensure Rappler stays the way it is – fearless, independent, and uncompromising – for the months and years to come. 

Will you celebrate our 50th month by taking on this challenge and donating to Rappler? 

How does this donation-matching challenge work?

In the next two weeks, we will be tracking all the donations made to Rappler. This means those interested can donate any amount and could go as high as they want. By the end of March, the anonymous Rappler+ member will match the highest single, one-off donation, with their donation capped at $500. 

And to grow our community, donations above P3,500 ($64)* will be converted to membership.  Donors have two options to convert it: 

• Sponsor membership for Movers and partners that MovePH has been working with
• Convert as gift membership to people you know 

The last 50 months have been a testament to the power of Rappler+ to sustain fearless, independent journalism. This year, we have the opportunity to scale up and redefine what else we can achieve together for independent journalism. 

Will you take on this challenge and donate to Rappler? – Rappler.com 

*$1 = P55

Magsambol, who joined Rappler as social media producer in 2016, is currently the social news network’s health and education reporter. He is also a part-time journalism instructor at the University of the Philippines Los Baños, where he finished college.

At the FASPE fellowship, Magsambol and the other fellows will attend a two-week study program in professional ethics and ethical leadership, focusing on how journalists enabled Nazi policies during World War II. The fellowship will take place in Germany and Poland from June 24 to July 7.

The 2023 program will be co-taught by Mark Lukasiewicz, dean of the Lawrence Herbert School of Communication at Hofstra University, and Sarah Stillman, staff writer of The New Yorker. 

“FASPE Journalism challenges its fellows to recognize their responsibility to act as ethical leaders in their careers in journalism and the media. FASPE begins by examining the actions and choices of German and international journalists in covering and supporting Nazi policies,” FASPE wrote on its website.

Fellows will visit key sites of Nazi history and participate in lectures and discussions led by specialized faculty. 

Applicants went through “competitive process, with a large, impressive group of candidates vying for 14 fellowships.”

“FASPE selects its Fellows on the basis of their academic background, personal and professional experiences, capacity for leadership and ability to contribute to the program and the alumni community,” it said.

FASPE, now in its 13th year, also gathers professionals for programs in business, law, design and technology, medicine, and seminary. – Rappler.com

Some of the youngest members of the Rappler team showed how fun our newsroom can be by dancing to K-pop girl group NewJeans’ hit song “OMG” while their managers and editors were busy with daily tasks. 

Our youngest employees even made Rappler’s CEO and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Ressa laugh.

@rappler POV: Working with #GenZs at #Rappler #newjeans #newjeans_omg ♬ original sound – Rappler

Get to know more about Gen Zs by reading this Judgment Call piece by Rappler’s head of multimedia strategy and growth Beth Frondoso.

Do you also want to join our young and dynamic team? Apply now by checking out our latest job openings here.

If you have suggestions on what Gen Zs from #TeamRappler can do next, subscribe to our YouTube and TikTok accounts and leave a comment! – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – “The worst of times is the best of times.”

Nobel laureate and Rappler CEO Maria Ressa echoed this famous quote on Monday, March 6, at the University of the Cordilleras (UC) in Baguio City during the third Philippine launch of her latest book, How To Stand Up to a Dictator.

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The quote was prompted by a question from the audience asking what the youth’s role is in this hostile time against the media and the business of truth-telling.

Ressa said these times present an opportunity for the youth to stand for the truth, assuring them they “have as much power as a veteran.”

“The youth have as much to contribute as those who are old and scarred,” said Ressa. “Sometimes we fight the battles of the past and we need the energy of the youth to anchor us and to build better forward.”

Must Read

Nobel laureate Maria Ressa launches book ‘How to Stand Up to a Dictator’ in London

While Ressa looked positively at young people’s ability to change the future, she admitted her generation hadn’t done very well in building a better world. She conceded that this next generation has to bear the brunt.

Not only was she referring to the worldwide battle against disinformation, but Ressa was also pointing to the horrific effects of climate change for the generations to come.

“My generation…we kind of lost it,” Ressa said. “We are where we are today for a whole lot of different reasons, but not enough of us stood up. You are inheriting a world where climate change is set to extinguish us.”

Even with this admission of failure, 10-year-old Emma Orendain gave Ressa and other journalists a thank you message.

Orendain said she saw Ressa in the fictional character Harry Potter, the titular protagonist of the popular fantasy series.

“Like you, Harry was singled out and seen as a real threat,” Orendain read from her notes while onstage. “Like you, some tried to silence him, and, like you, he didn’t give up. Like you, Harry Potter had within himself, a strong power that made Voldemort afraid and want to destroy him.”

But, she added, he still kept fighting for the truth.

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“What you do matters, especially to the young like me,” Orendain told Ressa. “Because it teaches us that the truth really does help us make a better and friendlier world.”

National artist Kidlat Tahimik, Luchie Marahan of Baguio Chronicle, UC’s Ray Dean Salvosa, journalist Albert Gamboa, and writer and comic Gabe Mercado all attended the Baguio book launch.

Ressa first launched her latest book, How to Stand Up to a Dictator, in the Philippines last December 10, 2022. – Rappler.com

Bibigkasin ng mamamahayag at editor na si Inday Espina-Varona ang ika-12 Adrian Cristobal Lecture sa Pebrero 20, 2023, 2 n.h. sa DZUP 1602 Facebook Page at YouTube channel.

Tatalakayin ng kaniyang lekturang may pamagat na “Surrender, Resistance, and the Lies that Bind” ang kasalukuyang lagay ng des-impormasyon na aniya’y humubog sa dalawang nagdaang halalang pambansa.

Si Varona ay premyado ng Jaime V. Ongpin para sa investigative journalism, Reporters Without Borders Prize for Independence, at Marshall McLuhan Award mula sa pamahalaan ng Canada. Naging international fellow din siya ng John S. Knight Professional Fellowships sa Stanford University. Noong 2022, tumanggap siya ng Gawad Pambansang Alagad ni Balagtas para sa Sanaysay sa Ingles mula sa Unyon ng mga Manunulat sa Pilipinas (UMPIL).

Kasalukuyan siyang Head of Regions ng Rappler.

Magtatanghal din ng isang natatanging bílang ang apo at tokayo ni Cristobal na si Adrik Cristobal, premyadong gitarista.

Ang Adrian Cristobal Lecture Series ay taunang ginaganap tuwing Pebrero 20, kaarawan ng pinagpangalangang peryodista, editor, at mandudula na tagapangulong tagapagtatag ng UMPIL.

Pinatatakbo ito ng Pamilya Cristobal at ng UMPIL, at nakapagtanghal na sa mga sumusunod na intelektwal publiko: mga Pambansang Alagad ng Sining na sina Gemino Abad, Virgilio Almario, at Resil Mojares; Reynaldo Ileto; Solita Callas-Monsod; Marites Dañguilan Vitug; Alfred Yuson; Cristina Pantoja-Hidalgo; Soledad Reyes; Ninotchka Rosca; at Sheila Coronel.

Ieeyre ito ng DZUP, sa pakikipagkolaborasyon ng Departamento ng Brodkasting ng Kolehiyo ng Komunikasyong Pangmadla ng Unibersidad ng Pilipinas Diliman.

Mapapanood din ang livestream sa UMPIL Facebook Page, atbpng. katuwang na pahina. Inaanyayahang makinig at manood ang madla, at kung sakali, magpadala ng tanong gámit ang mga livestream platform. – Rappler.com

Together with #FactsFirstPH, a unique multisectoral and multilayered collaboration dedicated to fighting disinformation and holding perpetrators accountable, the fellowship program is anchored on a shared goal of building a robust community that will push back against disinformation and help facts gain a larger share of voice online.

The Aries Rufo and #FactsMatter Journalism Fellowships were offered to qualified Filipino journalists and Southeast Asian newsrooms interested in reporting about their communities (for local journalists) and how disinformation networks influence and shape narratives, and then possibly draw similarities or contrasts among their own countries (for both local and international journalists).

Four journalists from Mindanao, four from Visayas, and two from Luzon were selected for the Aries Rufo Journalism Fellowship awards. They are the following: 

• Lucelle Bonzo, Davao del Sur
• Ferdinand Zuasola, Davao Oriental
• Ferdinandh Cabrera, Maguindanao
• Cong Corrales, Cagayan de Oro
• Jun Aguirre, Aklan
• John Sitchon, Cebu
• Francis Allan Angelo, Iloilo
• Ricky Bautista, Samar
• Angel Dominador Castillo, Benguet
• Mari-An Santos, Manila

Two Southeast Asian journalists, together with their newsrooms, were chosen for the #FactsMatter Fellowship. 

• Chi Hong Thi Nguyen from Songkhoe Newspaper, Vietnam
• Nang Yoon Eain from Mizzima Media Group, Myanmar

The two fellowship programs will run from February until May 2023.

A series of online training sessions will be conducted by Rappler’s senior editors and other key members of its research and data teams. Serving as a starting point, the training will cover a wide range of topics, aiming to equip participants with skills and knowledge critical for journalists to have if they are to better understand and address disinformation, as well as do excellent public interest journalism. – Rappler.com

I was in the courtroom when the verdict was read as the panel of three women justices looked on (it took all of six minutes). As soon as we heard “acquitted,” our CFO Fel Dalafu, seated beside me, burst into tears of joy, like the weight of the world had been lifted from her shoulders. Fel was one of the three who testified in our defense. Any accountant would have walked away from the badgering and harassment that Fel has withstood since former president Rodrigo Duterte unleashed his power to attack us. But she not only stayed all these years; she would look every BIR agent in the eye to say, we do honest business.

The unanimous ruling by the court’s 1st division rejected the Duterte government’s charge that Rappler evaded taxes when it raised capital for the company through Philippine Depositary Receipts (PDRs), which Philippine companies, including those in the media, have used to seek investors and grow their business. 

Does the CTA verdict have anything to do with the closure order issued against us by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in 2018 which is pending at the Court of Appeals? It’s a separate case, but both revolve around PDRs. 

• The SEC said one clause in one of Rappler’s PDR transactions constituted some amount of foreign control, thereby violating a constitutional mandate for media companies to be a hundred percent owned by Filipinos. We disagree with this, thus our pending appeal. 

• In its Wednesday ruling on the BIR’s tax case against us, the CTA said PDRs are never instruments of control or ownership but mere investment tools.

What’s next? 

• There’s a tax case related to the charges of which RHC and Maria have been acquitted, filed before the Pasig Regional Trial Court. Promulgation on that has been set for June this year. 

• We also await the CA’s decision on our appeal of the SEC order. We have the option of bringing this all the way to the Supreme Court.

• Maria and our former researcher Reynaldo Santos Jr. have also appealed before the Supreme Court their conviction in a cyber libel case filed by a businessman.

Meanwhile, we savor this hard-earned victory that reminds us of a sterling quality of justices that has not left our judiciary: their independence. 

Reporters Without Borders secretary-general Christophe Deloire put it so well in this tweet.

Thank you, Rappler + members for sharing our struggles and our hopes.

2023 will see a more aggressive Rappler that knows its market better, its place in the world, and why it must continue to shine the light and hold the line. – Rappler.com

The court dismissed the BIR’s findings that we profited from raising capital. 

It was, after all, a novel case where the BIR singled out Rappler and prosecuted it for raising capital via Philippine Depositary Receipts which other media companies, such as ABS-CBN and GMA Network, had tapped for the same purpose.

For us, this simply means that truth has prevailed. We believe that this would not have been possible without our community of supporters – partners who have stood for press freedom and held the line with us through the years. 

This good news also gives us hope as we continue to face other cases lodged against Rappler since 2018. (READ: LIST: Cases vs Maria Ressa, Rappler directors, staff since 2018)

With the acquittal, Rappler is in a stronger position to continue its award-winning, independent journalism and community building to fight online disinformation.

If you want to join Rappler’s community of supporters, here are ways to do this:

• Showing solidarity with any post online using the hashtags #HoldTheLine and #CourageON
• Supporters can directly power our investigative work through a one-off donation to Rappler. No amount is too small for public interest journalism. For details, you may visit donate.rappler.com. 
• If you want to become a member of a community and stay updated with other cases and updates from Rappler, we invite you to join Rappler+, our membership program: rappler.com/plus.

From all of us at Rappler, thank you for holding the line with us. – Rappler.com