If a nation wants to be rich and prosperous, it must find El Dorado.

But El Dorado is not a place—it is within us. It is our free spirit. It is our capacity to imagine, to dream, and to create.

The Pasig River Esplanade Project is living proof of imagination in action. Because of the Esplanade Project, we rediscovered our confidence.

This Newsworthy Project Award tells the world what we are capable of—when we use the power of imagination. Through it, we found our El Dorado.

Freedom alone is not enough.

We must use our freedom to build our El Dorado!

What we have built—we must protect. Let us not destroy it with fake news, with neglect, or by failing to tell the story.

It is the best of journalism when we report that the mud of the river has turned into clear water. And that the nation is thriving in other fields—sports, science, and the arts.

There must be more positive news than negative. Positive news builds El Dorado. Negative news does not.

It is in this spirit that we honor the Daily Tribune with the RCM Pro Patria Journalism Hall of Fame Award.

For years, it has consistently uncovered what is truly newsworthy. It has helped lead the way to the discovery of our El Dorado.