Ford honors top motoring journalists

Ford Group Philippines honored six motoring journalists last week for their work in contributing to the growth of the automotive industry.

The six journalists won in the 1st Henry Ford Awards, a contest that seeks to promote excellence in motoring reportage in the print, broadcast and online media.

Topping the list of awardees was Philippine STAR motoring editor Junep Ocampo who bagged two awards. His series of stories on lemon cars entitled "To Refund or Not To Refund" was chosen as best auto industry report while his photograph "Women of Ford" which showed women working in Ford Philippines’ assembly line was adjudged best published photo for newspapers.

Another STAR writer, Manny delos Reyes, won the Best Ford Feature award for his test drive story on the TH!NK, Ford’s electric car, in Detroit, Michigan.

Tessa Salazar of the Philippine Daily Inquirer won the Best Auto Innovation Feature award for her story on how drivers could get rid of blind spots by adjusting their rear-view mirrors correctly.

Vernon Sarne, editor-in-chief of REV magazine, meanwhile, took home the Best Photo for Magazines award for his paparazzi shot of Dave Gutman, Ford’s vice president for marketing. He was able to capture on digital camera Gutman’s spying on the Toyota Altis public test drive.

Veteran motoring broadcaster Ron delos Reyes won in the Best TV Feature category for his test-drive report on the F-150 Super Crew pickup which in Auto Review, a show aired weekly over NBN Channel 4.

Not to be outdone, though, was Eric Ayrton, editor-in-chief of Drive.com (www.drive.com.ph) who won the Best Online Feature for his story on the Honda Eco-Challenge.

Terry Emrick, president of Ford Group Philippines, announced that a second Henry Ford Awards is now being planned for next year to further boost the morale of motoring journalists.

"Motoring journalists play a big role in educating the public as to the developments in the industry. In the same manner, they also make the industry know what the public wants," he said.