PLDT & Smart, PAGEONE clinch top honors at 20th Philippine Quill Awards

Other big winners include Light Rail Manila Corp., CarbonDigital, and BPI, and De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde for the 10th Student Quills

PLDT & Smart and PAGEONE once again bagged Company of the Year (COY) and Agency of the Year (AOY) honors, respectively, at the 20th Philippine Quill Awards, held last night at the Manila Marriott Hotel Grand Ballroom. Both organizations won the same titles at the 19th Philippine Quill Awards. Manila Electric Company and SM Foundation, Inc. made up the rest of the top three companies for this awards cycle, while DDB Group Philippines and Comm&SenseRoar were named agency runners-up. Other big winners included Light Rail Manila Corp. for its “LRMC: Building a foundation for learning and literacy thru Binhi Partnership” campaign, which received the top award for Communication Management; Carbon Digital, Inc. for its “RCEF Seed Program for social media campaign for 2021,” which secured the No. 1 spot for Communication Research; and Bank of the Philippine Islands for its “Going viral? Do it yourself” campaign, which was given the top prize for Communication Skills. There was no top awardee for the Communication Training and Education division this year. Together with the 20th Philippine Quill Awards, the next generation of strategic communicators were also recognized at the 10th Student Quill Awards. De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde was named School of the Year (SOY), a repeat of its achievement in the 9th Student Quill Awards, followed closely by the University of Santo Tomas and Colegio de San Juan de Letran. The lone Student Quills winner of a top division award was “Horizons: Apophenia” by Danielle Sabine Lim from De La Salle College of Saint Benilde. The Philippine Quill Awards and Student Quill Awards are spearheaded by the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) Philippines. The annual programs honor the best strategic communication campaigns, programs, and tools, with the goal of helping uplift the standards of communication across various industries and institutions, and to prepare the next generation of communicators. COY, AOY, and SOY honors are given to the company, agency, and school with the most number of Excellence awards received. In case of a tie, the number of Merit awards received is also considered. For an entry to get an Award of Excellence, it must garner a score of at least 5.75 out of a possible 7. An Award of Merit is given to entries that secure a rating of at least 5.25. The Philippine Quill and Student Quill Awards use the same rubrics that the USbased IABC utilize in evaluating entries to the international Gold Quill Awards. Entries are evaluated by communication experts across different industries and disciplines. “Our foremost goal for the Philippine Quills is to elevate communication standards in the corporate, government, and academic sectors. Through the awards that we give out, we aim to showcase the communication campaigns, programs, and tools that use creative, resourceful, and well-thought-out means to generate significant positive outcomes for their stakeholders,” said 20th Philippine Quill and 10th Student Quill Awards Chair Abigail HoTorres. IABC Philippines President Belle Tiongco also emphasized the importance of the Student Quill Awards, as it serves “not only to recognize the best student works in various fields of communication, but also instills in students the discipline of crafting communication programs and tools that really focus on positive outcomes and not just aspire to go viral.” This year’s theme, “Past Forward,” highlighted the necessity of honoring the past to move forward into the future. Amid technological advancements and societal progress, IABC Philippines called on communication professionals to learn from past glories and mistakes so that they can help shape a better future. The 20th Philippine Quill Awards and 10th Student Quill Awards were made possible by Metro Pacific Investments Corp., BDO, Meralco, Pru Life UK, PLDT & Smart, and Red Ribbon, together with media partners Adobo Magazine, Businessworld, Business Mirror, and The Philippine Star. Reyes Tacandong & Co. served as the official tabulator.