“It’s a confirmation of worthiness, perhaps of what we are doing.”
CAGAYAN DE ORO — For veteran journalist and media development advocate Melinda Quintos de Jesus, her recognition as Gawad Plaridel 2026 awardee is “a moment of affirmation.”
De Jesus, who founded the media watchdog Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility (CMFR) in 1989, considered the award as a significant assessment of her advocacy in defending press freedom and ensuring media accountability, as well as molding future fully equipped journalists.
“It’s a confirmation of worthiness, perhaps of what we are doing,” she told Bulatlat, dedicating the recognition as well to her colleagues in CMFR. “It drives me even more, even at my advanced age, to continue as much of the energy is still there.”
On July 20, The University of the Philippines (UP) College of Media and Communication (CMC) made the announcement for this year’s Gawad Plaridel, the highest recognition in the UP system for outstanding practitioners from different forms of media.
In a statement, UP-CMC said the jury for Gawad Plaridel 2026 described De Jesus as the “conscience of Philippine media,” recognizing her lifelong commitment to truth, accountability, and ethical journalism practice. “Her work critiques not only what is reported but how news is produced, ensuring journalism remains a pillar of democracy.”
The recognition underscored her legacy of press freedom, being a key figure of independent and alternative press during the Marcos Sr. regime.
De Jesus became a columnist in the Bulletin Today (now Manila Bulletin), where she wrote about human rights violations and abuses during the Marcos dictatorship. In 1983, she became an editor of Veritas Newsweekly, an alternative news outfit established by the late business and civic leader Jaime V. Ongpin, that provided essential news and information that the Marcos Sr. administration suppressed.
Her work in CMFR, where she currently serves as its executive director, has received praise for institutionalizing media monitoring as one of their core programs. Through this, they commend media outfits for executing good journalism practice in their stories and also call them out for lack of proper context and being uncritical, among others.
To recognize journalists with their best journalism ethics, CMFR established the Jaime V. Ongpin Journalism Seminar. In 1998, CMFR received the Chino Roces Award for promoting vigilance against the abuse of press freedom and encouraging responsibility, accountability, and reporting excellence.
De Jesus’s contribution in educating generations of journalists, especially their role in the society, has also been recognized.
She served several terms as a member of the International Freedom of Expression eXchange (IFEX) Council and the Steering Committee of the World Movement for Democracy (WMD). She is a founding member of the Board of Trustees of the Southeast Asian Press Alliance (SEAPA) and the Philippine-based Freedom Fund for Filipino Journalists, Inc. (FFFJ).
In 2000, she received the Benigno S. Aquino, Jr. Fellowship for Professional Development, recognizing her efforts in strengthening Philippine democracy through promoting higher standards of media responsibility and professionalism.
For De Jesus, giving so much value to media monitoring is more important, highlighting its significance for better storytelling. “In journalism, we should look into all aspects of public life so that we can see how we can use journalism to help create a better world,” she stressed.
She hopes that this kind of advocacy continues. (RVO)
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