Carolyn Arguillas (2011)
As a journalist based in Davao City, Carolyn has been extensively covering the conflict and peace processes in Mindanao for the past twenty seven years. Her various positions in the past—as Mindanao reporter for Veritas Newsmagazine and the Manila Chronicle, as Mindanao Bureau Chief of the Philippine Daily Inquirer, and her current affiliation as editor of MindaNews, the daily news service arm of the Mindanao News and Information Cooperative Center (MNICC) which she co-founded in May 2001, have allowed her to provide reporting that reflects the real and gritty events taking place in her home region of Mindanao.
Arguillas received her BA Journalism degree from the University of the Philippines and her MA Journalism (March 2007) from the Konrad Adenauer Center for Journalism at the Ateneo de Manila University.
Ed Lingao (2010)
Ed is the manager of multimedia for the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) and has spent more than 20 years covering politics, electoral reforms and human rights issues in the Filipino media.
As former news manager at ABC-Channel 5, executive producer of the ABS-CBN program, The Correspondents, and chief reporter and city editor at the Manila Times, he remains one of the few Filipino journalists who has reported from Iraq and Afghanistan, and has spearheaded many new initiatives in multimedia reporting. His documentaries “Dateline Baghdad” and “State of War” received several citations from local award-giving bodies.
He has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of the Philippines.
Diosa Labiste (2009)
A community journalist from Iloilo City, and former correspondent for the Philippine Daily Inquirer, contributing writer to Women’s Feature Service, Union of Catholic Asian News, and Newsbreak Magazine, Diosa is currently finishing her PhD in Sociology at the University of Birmingham in the United Kingdom with a fellowship from the Ford Foundation—International Fellowship Program. Her research interests center on oppositional media and democratic responsibility and new media technologies as democratizing force.
Diosa completed her undergraduate degree in Mass Communication at Silliman University, and received her MA in Journalism at the Asian Center for Journalism, Ateneo de Manila University.
Glenda Gloria (2008)
A journalist for more than two decades now, and the former vice-president for news and current affairs of ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corporation, and concurrent chief operating officer of the ABS-CBN News Channel, Glenda is currently the managing editor of Rappler.com, an independent social news network she co-founded together with other veteran journalists where she writes about governance, politics, security and human rights, media, and issues concerning Southeast Asia.
She has authored books on the Philippine military, terrorism and insurgency, and Philippine elections and co-authored “Under the Crescent Moon: Rebellion in Mindanao”, a groundbreaking book on the Muslim rebel movements in Mindanao and a recipient of the National Book Award. Glenda earned her journalism degree from the University of Santo Tomas and her master’s degree in political sociology, with distinction, from the London School of Economics.
Inday Espina Varona (2007)
A former editor of The Manila Times, and currently, manager for social media and citizen journalism of ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corporation, Inday now manages the “Bayan Mo, Patrol Mo!” (Patrol your community) initiative of ABS-CBN’s news and current affairs department.
Most recently, she worked as editor-in-chief of the Philippines Graphic, the country’s first news-oriented magazine. Inday is also active as a director with the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines, having served as a president for two years.
A dropout from the University of the Philippines, Inday joined the underground movement during the Martial Law years and was detained for a year without any charges filed against her. In 2006, she was a recipient of the Knight Fellowship award at Stanford University.
Gerry Lirio (2006)
Mr. Lirio, a Nieman scholar for narrative journalism at Harvard University, is currently a desk editor at the news and public affairs department of the new broadcast network TV5. A former section editor at the Philippine Daily Inquirer where he worked for 25 years, Gerry was the head of the investigative team in 2005 when it produced the story “Hello Garci: Panic, confusion in Palace” which won for him that year’s Jaime V. Ongpin Media Award for Best Investigative Report.
Yvonne Chua (2000 & 2005)
An associate professor at the University of the Philippines’ Department of Journalism, a trustee of the independent news organization VERA Files, and former training director of the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism, Yvonne, to date, has been the only journalist named as Marshall McLuhan Fellow twice (first in 2000, and then again in 2005). Additionally, she is one of only three journalists who are in the “hall of fame” of the Jaime V. Ongpin Awards for Excellence in Journalism for having won the grand prize three times in five years.
A member of the Commission on Higher Education’s (CHED) Technical Committee on Communication, Yvonne continues to be an often-invited speaker on investigative reporting and media-related issues, and her book “Robbed: An Investigation on Corruption in Philippine Education” received the National Book Award for Journalism.
As a member of the team that released the award-winning series on former President Joseph Estrada’s unexplained wealth and excesses in office, these reports formed part of the basis of the impeachment complaint against the former president.
Tess Bacalla (2004)
Tess, currently a freelance journalist, has written several articles dealing with corruption, governance, and other developmental issues including women and children’s rights. In addition, she was the regional editor of the Inter Press Service for Asia-Pacific, and wrote for the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism, The Manila Times, and Business World, among others. She has edited books for UNICEF and the Philippine Institute for Development Studies and is a senior professional lecturer at the De La Salle University Manila’s Department of Communication.
Luz Rimban (2003)
Luz, together with Yvonne Chua and Sheila Coronel (another McLuhan fellow), is in the “hall of fame” of the Jaime V. Ongpin Awards for Excellence in Journalism for winning the grand prize thrice.
She is currently a senior journalism lecturer at the University of the Philippines and the Ateneo de Manila University, and a co-founder of VERA Files. She was formerly the broadcast director of the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ), where she handled broadcast projects and wrote investigative reports for the print medium. Her work has been recognized by various award-giving bodies. Documentaries she wrote or produced have received awards from local and international film festivals.
Luz started her career at the Manila Standard before joining Channel 7 in the late 1980s. She also worked for Channel 5 and for SkyCable News, now the ABS-CBN News Channel. Luz obtained her BA Journalism degree from the University of the Philippines and her MA in Journalism at the Ateneo de Manila University.
Miriam Grace Go (2002)
Gigi is a freelance journalist. Most recently, she was the managing editor of Newsbreak, an online news magazine. A journalist for almost two decades now, she writes about governance, elections, politics, security and human rights, media, and economic issues.
She has authored books on investigative journalism related to the elections and local government, including co-authoring “How to Win an Election: Lessons from the Experts” published by the Konrad Adenauer Foundation and the Ateneo School of Government, a finalist in the National Book Awards. Additionally, she co-wrote “Unholy Nation: Stories from a Gambling Republic” and “Investigating Local Governments: A Handbook for Reporters” published by the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism.
Gigi received her journalism degree from the University of the Philippines’ College of Mass Communication and in 2011 she was recognized as the outstanding alumna of the College in the field of investigative reporting.
Vinia Datinguinoo-Mukherji (2001)
Vinia was the multimedia specialist of the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism until she left for India in 2007. Currently based in New Delhi, Vinia is now a freelance editor and information management consultant for various organizations in India including Observer Research Foundation (ORF) Inc and Pradan, an NGO that works with rural communities. She received her master’s degree in environment and development from the University of Reading in the United Kingdom and her bachelor’s degree in History from the University of the Philippines.
Sheila Coronel (1999)
Sheila is currently the director of Columbia University’s Toni Stabile Center for Investigative Journalism. With thirty years of journalism experience, she is one of the most highly regarded media practitioners of the Philippines. She co-founded the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism which produces in-depth and groundbreaking reporting on major social and governance issues in the Philippines. She has also written for the Philippine Panorama, The Manila Times, and The Manila Chronicle.
Sheila is the author and editor of more than a dozen books, including “Coups, Cults & Cannibals,” a collection of reportage; “The Rulemakers: How the wealthy and well-born dominate Congress” and “Pork and other Perks: Corruption and Governance in the Philippines.” Sheila holds an undergraduate degree in political science from the University of the Philippines, a masters in political sociology from the London School of Economics, and has received numerous awards and widespread recognition of her work.
Ellen Tordesillas (1998)
Ellen is one of the most-read columnists and news bloggers in the country today. Her blog reached one million hits just after a year of being launched in 2005. Millions of readers continue to visit her blog which also serves as compendium of her articles and columns published in the newspaper Malaya and the tabloid Abante. Ellen is also a trustee and the current president of the independent news organization VERA Files, composed of veteran journalists who pursue investigative reporting and in-depth analysis of issues. She co-authored the book “Hot Money, Warm Bodies—the downfall of Philippine President Joseph Estrada.” She also co-wrote the explosive special report on the controversial deal between the Philippine Estate Authority and Amari Coastal Bay Development Corp which was published in the book “Pork and Other Perks” on corruption and governance published by the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism, for which she was named 1998 Journalist of the Year by the Rotary Club of Manila.
Armand Nocum (1997)
Armand was a reporter for the Philippine Daily Inquirer in 1997 when he was named McLuhan Fellow for Investigative Journalism, the first recipient of the distinction. He has long retired from journalism and is now a practicing legal public relations professional. He is also a social entrepreneur who advocates for peace and education in Zamboanga and Basilan through books for children. His A-book-saya project aims to swamp public libraries and schools in the poorest areas of Zamboanga, his home province, with books and published materials to help raise the literacy of Muslim children.
