MANILA -- The Presidential Communications Operations Office accepted seven prestigious awards during the 2021 Asia-Pacific Stevie® Awards virtual ceremony on Wednesday, July 14.

This year’s Stevie® Awards honored Presidential Communications Secretary Martin M. Andanar with a “Media Hero of the Year” Award for innovations and leadership in the management of PCOO which paved the way for a more proactive daily delivery of news and information to the Filipino public.

This is the first time that the PCOO was recognized internationally for its commitment to serving the public through the dissemination of relevant information and initiatives during this global health crisis.

In his virtual message, Sec. Andanar, a veteran news anchor, emphasized that the awards and recognition bestowed to the PCOO are “proof of our commitment to fulfilling our mandate to the Filipino people, particularly that of providing timely, relevant, and life-saving information throughout the COVID-19 pandemic,”

“The inspiration and motivation these recognitions have provided, not only for me but also for the rest of my team at the PCOO, will be reflected through our continued commitment to informing the Filipino people,” he said.

Meanwhile, PCOO Office of the Global Media and Public Affairs (PCOO-OGMPA) Assistant Secretary JV Arcena bagged two individual Gold Stevie® Awards as “Government Hero of the Year'' and “Media Hero of the Year"

For Asec. Arcena, a former journalist and media strategist, the PCOO has been working since day 1 of the pandemic to inform the public through the "Laging Handa" or "Always Ready" communications campaigns as well as creating top-caliber documentaries and social media content.

“Thank you very much to the Stevie® Awards for recognizing the efforts, innovations, and commitment to public information of our organization and my team who have sacrificed so much and worked tirelessly even during this difficult time,” Arcena said.

“This proves our unwavering commitment to serve the country by providing timely and relevant information amidst the pandemic,” he added.
PCOO’s Awarding-Winning Programs

Established in 2018, ‘The Virtual Presser and Virtual Reporting Tour’ bagged a Silver Stevie® Award for Innovation in Media, Visual Communications & Entertainment and a Bronze Stevie® Award for Innovation in Media Relations under the Awards for Innovation in Communications/ Public Relations Category.

In addition, the PCOO-produced Laging Handa Dokyu series, now on its 3rd season, also received a Bronze Stevie® Award for Innovation in Documentaries under the Awards for Innovation in Video Category.

The PCOO Laging Handa COVID-19 Communications Digital Campaign also received a Bronze Stevie® Award for Best Use of Social Media-COVID-19-related Information, for producing digital content such as infomercials (National Action Plan and Community Quarantine videos), explainer videos (the VAXplainer), social cards, and infographics, to keep the public informed on the government responses in this time of the pandemic.

US-based Stevie® Awards is a premier business award that recognizes innovations in the workplace since 2002. The 2021 Stevie Awards, nicknamed the Stevies or the Greek word for “crowned", received a total of 900 nominations from different countries across the Asia-Pacific region. (PCOO)