The little boutique publishing house that could has done it yet again.
Media Wise Communications, Inc. was awarded its second Gold Quill Award of Merit by the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) for the coffee table book On the March: The Jesuits in the Philippines Since the Restoration at the Excellence Gala held 11 June 2019 during the 2019 IABC World Conference in Vancouver, Canada.
On the March chronicles the journey of the Jesuits as they bring the Catholic faith to the most remote corners of the Philippines. The book focuses on their ministry in education through the years, and the many aspects of their apostolate in the country.
Edited by journalist John Nery, it also includes essays by Cora Llamas (associate editor), journalist Mike Baños, Ticia Morente, Fr. Bert Boholst SJ, and Margie Logarta. Manuel Engwa and Ramoncito Ocampo Cruz are co-executive publishers.
“Editing this book (the second coffee table book on the Jesuits published by Monching Cruz and Manny Engwa, to raise funds for the Philippine Jesuit Aid Association) was a gift, a joy, an answered prayer—and a way to give back and to give thanks to the many Jesuits who served as mentors or colleagues,” Nery said in a statement posted in his blog.
Cruz, a visual artist, leverages his creative background to produce “elegant, artistic books of substance.” Among other books he has published for the Ateneo community are ‘150: The Ateneo Way’, released for AdMU’s sesquicentennial; ‘Veritas Integritas Justitia: 75 Years of the Ateneo Law School;’ and ‘Jesuits in Mindanao: The Mission,’ which have all won International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) Quill Awards and Anvils.
Cruz runs a tight ship with his managing editor Rey Albert Fuentes, tapping a formidable stable of freelance writers, photographers, and graphic designers to partner with.
On the March earlier earned a coveted Platinum Anvil Award at the 54thAnvil Awards held last January 30 at the Marriott Grand Ballroom.
Organized by the Public Relations Society of the Philippines, Anvils are the ‘Oscars” of the public relations industry in the country, and the Platinum is the highest award it confers. It is given only to projects that stand out among the ‘Gold’ Anvil winners, already the best of the best.
The IABC Gold Quill Awards are IABC’s global initiative to recognize and award excellence in strategic communication worldwide, and is acknowledged as one of the most prestigious awards programs in the industry.
Held at the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver, the Gala ceremony reeled off at 5:30, followed by dinner at 7:30pm with announcement of the recipients for the special awards at the Grand Ballroom.
There have been 4,451 projects entered in the Gold Quill Awards since 2008.
For 2019, a total of 202 winners were recognized, with entries from 10 countries being awarded the Gold Quill.
Winning entries are sorted into two groups: Awards of Merit and Awards of Excellence.
To qualify for a Merit Award, an entry must score at least a 5.25 out of 7, and a 5.75 to qualify for an Excellence Award.
All entries are rigorously evaluated against established criteria aligned with IABC’s global standards in communication.
Media Wise Communications, Inc. was one of five 2019 Gold Quill awardees from the Philippines, including the Aboitiz Group; ABS-CBN Corporation; PageOne & Center for Health Solutions, Innovations Philippines, Inc.; and, Jollibee Foods Corporation & Stratworks, Inc.
Media Wise was first cited with a Merit Award by IABC in the 2017 Gold Quill Awards for Jesuits In Mindanao: The Mission under the Communications Skills Division (Category 26: Publications).
Jesuits in Mindanao: the Mission also won the Philippine Quill Award of Excellence for Publications under the Communications Skills Division at the 2013 Quill Awards, and another at the IABC Asian Pacific Silver Quill Awards held in Singapore in 2016.
Like Jesuits in Mindanao, proceeds for the sale of On the March are going to the Philippine Jesuit Aid Association (PJAA), an institution headed by Fr. Jose Quilongquilong, S.J. for the benefit of elderly, retired and infirm Jesuits, and the promotion of Jesuit vocations in the Philippines. (with Jenny Ortuoste)
