CNN Philippines news anchor Rico Hizon received the Golden Goddess statuette for Best Factual Presenter (Best News Anchor and Best Current Affairs Anchor in Asia categories combined) as Grand Final Winner at the Asian Academy Creative Awards 2023 during ceremonies held in Singapore on Thursday, Dec. 7.

"This recognition is dedicated to the men and women of CNN Philippines, my wife Melannie and our son Migo. Thank you for watching The Final Word and for your continued support. Animo La Salle!" write Rico on Facebook after he received the award.

The award was announced during a Sept. 28 livestream, which showcased over 300 national winners across 36 categories. Known for his exceptional journalism on CNN Philippines' nightly news show, The Final Word with Rico Hizon, the news channel’s senior news anchor, is a force to reckon with. 

Pilar Manuel, Senior New Producer of The Final Word, underscored Hizon's commitment to excellence. "We treat every weeknight as an opportunity to inspire, collaborate with, and learn from one another. Yet despite all these achievements, our anchor and the team never rest on his laurels and always reminds us we're only as good as our last show."

This isn't Hizon's first brush with accolades; he bagged his second national AACA win with this award. His first AACA came in 2020 with a Best News Program award for The Final Word, signaling his successful return to Philippine TV after 25 years of international reporting for BBC News and CNBC. 

Hizon also won back-to-back Asian Television Awards (ATA) for Best News Anchor and Best News Programme, also for The Final Word. Prior to returning to his country, Hizon had won the ATA for his BBC program, Newsday.

Hizon's impact on his team is equally noteworthy. Celle Orbeta, Executive Producer of The Final Word, points out, "This is a team that never settles for less and sees eye-to-eye on journalistic values despite differences in ideas. Our anchor mentors the team to ask the tough questions, to look beyond pretenses, and to always think out of the box."

Competing in the AACA Grand Finals, Hizon faced a roster of esteemed presenters from Australia (Rachel Perkins), Hong Kong SAR (Priscilla Wong), India (Levison Wood), Indonesia (Riko Anggara), Singapore (Martin Soong), and Taiwan (Lee Chen-Chen). The judging standards are aligned with the International Emmy Awards, guaranteeing that global benchmarks evaluate Asia-Pacific talents.

In a social media post following his win, Hizon shared his gratitude for the award: "This recognition inspires the CNN Philippines news team to do better and do more: to inform and educate our viewers about the real facts. As broadcast journalists - our responsibility is to give the public an accurate, truthful, unbiased account of the news."