GMA executive joins SEA video filmfest jury

GMA Network vice president for Corporate Affairs and Communications Angela Javier Cruz.

GMA Network vice president for Corporate Affairs and Communications Angela Javier Cruz represented the Philippines as one of the jurors at the Southeast Asia Video Festival for Children (SEAVFC) last 27 to 30 November in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

SEAVFC is an annual video competition that celebrates the best in children’s television across the region. Cruz joined an expert panel of media professionals from 10 countries — Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Other jurors from the Philippines include ABS-CBN vice president and head of Integrated Corporate Communications Kane Errol Choa and seasoned broadcast journalist Jiggy Manicad.

As a juror, she reviewed videos created for and by the children. The entries mirror the youth’s aspirations and desires as well as pride in family and traditions.

“Representing the country and GMA Network as a juror in this festival strengthens national pride during this time when we truly need to have more of it. The sharing and exchange of ideas among the participating countries further enriched everyone’s knowledge of the Southeast Asians’ diverse yet comparable cultures. I thank Anak TV for this opportunity to serve the organization and to support its vision of ensuring child-sensitive and age-appropriate video programs in the Philippines and beyond,” Cruz said.

Aside from being represented in the Southeast Asia jury, GMA Network also won the Heart Award (Professional Category) for its television series Sahaya. The series was top-billed by Bianca Umali and showcased the richness of Philippine indigenous culture from the eyes of the Badjao people. The Philippines bagged four awards in the international film festival.

SEAVFC was inspired by the 2016 Prix Jeunesse International held in Munich, Germany. This festival is known for advocating excellence in children’s television around the world. Since its establishment in Germany in 1964, it has been promoting, celebrating and honoring the highest quality in youth and children’s television.

Seeing the limited representation of Southeast Asia in the festival and recognizing that the region has a vast young population which will benefit greatly from such a project, Anak TV Inc., through its president Elvira Yap-Go, proposed the first Southeast Asia Prix Jeunesse.

The Philippines hosted the first two editions of SEAVFC.