Besting other entries from around the globe, Reel Time’s “Batang Maestro” won the highly-coveted Gold Dolphin award under the Current Affairs, Human Concerns and Social Issues category at the 10th Cannes Corporate Media and TV Awards in France on Sept. 27. This serves as GMA Network’s first-ever Cannes award, which recognizes the very best in corporate media and TV.
“Batang Maestro” is an episode of GMA News TV’s Reel Time, which featured the story of 12-year-old Dagul and his fellow volunteer ‘little teachers’ in the province of Sorsogon. Dagul and the other volunteers cross the river of Donsol on board a bamboo raft just to reach fellow children in remote areas who have difficulty reading because they are often absent from classes. Despite his own struggles at home, Dagul pursues his volunteer work to bring pride and honor to his mother, his very first teacher.
Receiving the award for Reel Time was its Program Manager Nowell Cuanang.
Giving honor to the country as well is the bimonthly documentary program The Atom Araullo Specials, which was shortlisted for its “No Leftovers: A Food Waste Trail” episode. “No Leftovers” showed that food wastage remains a big problem in the Philippines by tracing how food is wasted from production to consumption.
GMA Network is widely regarded as home to the most internationally-awarded Philippine documentary programs. This year’s Cannes Corporate Media & TV Awards listed almost 1,000 submissions from 51 countries.