HEARD IT THROUGH THE GRIPE-VINE: OUR NEW ABNORMAL
While 124 may not seem to be a very special or auspicious number in itself, the Manila Bulletin’s 124th Anniversary, which happens in February, will take on a significance of its own this year, powered by the fact that it’ll coincide with our launching the first ever MB Newsmakers of the Year Awards. While Feb. 2 is the official day of the news platform’s founding, we’ll be holding the celebration on Feb. 15, Thursday, at the Manila Hotel Tent.
In explaining the MB Newsmakers of the Year to our corporate friends, I mention how it has evolved from the MB UPLIFT Awards that we created back in 2021, and celebrated in the first quarter of 2022. Borne out of the health crisis that we were still living under the shadow of, UPLIFT was an acronym for Unite, Perform, Lead, Inspire, Focus and Trend; and the intent was to recognize those who had brought good news and glad tidings in ten agreed-upon, diverse categories. These were Public Service, Big Business, MSME’s, Sports, Agriculture, Entertainment, Science & Technology, Arts & Culture, Healthcare, and E-Commerce.
With MB Newsmakers, we are making the awards a bigger and better version of itself. In part, it’s in recognition of how, with the health crisis in the rear view mirror, there’s an opportunity to broaden the concept and have it recognize news stories in a more general sense. It’s acknowledging how the individuals and organizations behind these stories captured last year’s zeitgeist, became trending topics on social media, and influenced us in ways that captured our imagination and creativity!
To explain and illustrate why this shift to Newsmakers of the Year, let’s look at a category like Entertainment. The Show Business headlines of 2023 were littered with big time break-up’s. They were in essence, the newsmakers of the previous year; yet you can hardly call them “uplifting.” So in one sense, they would not have passed under the umbrella qualifications of the former UPLIFT Awards; but one can’t deny how these break-up’s were the Newsmakers of note. In one particular couple’s case, it got so that brands who didn’t have either of the couple as endorsers, would allude to the break-up in their marketing and promotional social media content just to trend, and hopefully, be part of the conversation.
For that period of finite time, the break-up of the couple defined the mood and our “public radar.” It was close to impossible to escape the split, and how it evolved to matters beyond the activities of the two individuals. For me, that’s a perfect reason for redefining UPLIFT into MB Newsmakers – and we’re super-motivated to be embarking on this new journey.
In the same breath, I’d like to look back fondly at the UPLIFT Awards and how it was so apropos for its time, and how so many commended us for conceptualizing the awards – they would also comment on how it was nice that we were mixing big names and companies, with the unheralded and lesser publicized. I’m eternally grateful to the awardees, to the Co-presenters and sponsors. They trusted us, and supported the concept even when it was just an idea germinating in our minds.
I just hope they welcome this transition to MB Newsmakers with the same enthusiasm and support. And that we all have a stupendous time come Feb. 15! It’s always an exciting time when we launch something, and unveil it to the public.
Palawan on our mind
As I’ve written about Philippine Tourism and our hospitality industry over the last few Sundays, it would be remiss of me if I didn’t make mention the latest accolade our nation earned the other week. This latest one is for Palawan, as one of the Trending Destinations in the World for 2024, on TripAdvisor.
This, after a memorable 2023; when we were cited by Condé Nast, by Travel + Leisure, by the Worlds Most Desirable Countries for Adventure, and by Top Readers’ Choice. Our sustainable practices, conservation efforts and community engagement initiatives were all talked about and celebrated. Keeping and preserving our natural were mentioned as we ranked up awards for Best Beach Destination, Best City Destination, Best Dive Destination, and so on.
For Palawan, of note were the Calauit Game Preserve and Wildlife Sanctuary, the Japanese shipwrecks off Coron, and the Puerto Princesa Underground River. TripAdvisor is a digital travel guide giant, with fewer than one percent of over eight million annual listings awarded the Best of the Best, so this is some well-deserved acclaim. And it points to the fact that despite our lagging behind other ASEAN countries, when our foreign visitors visit Palawan, they’re so impressed, they’re compelled to give it a resounding shout out on TripAdvisor.
Me, I’m so proud we garnered this new distinction, and just hope it heralds a new era in Philippine Tourism; that this translates to an influx of visitors – and that we feel this upsurge right away, and throughout the year. It still frustrates me to read about the more than 11 million visitors to Vietnam in 2023, and how we’re overwhelmed with breaching the five million mark. Sure I’m happy with that we surpassed five million visitors last year, but we should be doubling that, at the very least, this year!