STAR reporter bags EJAP journalism award

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine STAR’s Richmond Mercurio was recognized as the “Energy Reporter of the Year” during the 33rd Economic Journalists Association of the Philippines’ (EJAP) Business Journalism Awards held last Friday in Makati.

This is the second time that Mercurio, who is currently covering the capital markets for The STAR, won the award as energy reporter of the year.

The annual EJAP Business Journalism Awards, held in partnership with Ayala Corp., recognizes the best in Philippine business journalism.

Three other business reporters of The STAR also won in this year’s awards for their 2023 coverage of their respective beats in behalf of different news organizations.

Jasper Arcalas was named as the “Agriculture-Mining Reporter of the Year” for Business Mirror, his third time winning the award.

Arcalas is currently The STAR’s agriculture and mining reporter.

Keisha Ta-asan and Brix Lelis, meanwhile, bagged their first EJAP awards, winning as the “Banking Reporter of the Year” for BusinessWorld and “Capital Markets Reporter of the Year” for The Manila Times, respectively.

Ta-asan now covers the banking beat for The STAR while Lelis covers the energy sector.

BusinessWorld was named Best Business News Source of the Year after its reporters Luisa Maria Jacinta Jocson (macroeconomy and finance) and Justine Irish Tabile (telecommunications-transportation) bagged awards for their respective beat coverages last year.

Other awardees were Philippine Daily Inquirer’s Alden Monzon (trade and industry) and Tyrone Jasper Piad, who won best feature story of the year.

Jon Viktor Cabuenas secured the “Online Reporter of the Year award” for GMA News Online.

EJAP president Jerome Morales of Reuters led the awarding ceremony.

Former finance undersecretary Milwida Guevara chaired this year’s board of judges, composed of Joel Yu, Hans Sicat, Francis Saturnino Juan, Romeo Recide, Ma. Teresa Habitan, Alexander Escucha, Michael Arthur Sagcal, Senen Perlada and Rene Pizarro.