Ian Ocampo Flora, a senior reporter from SunStar Pampanga, took home two awards from the 17th Brightleaf Journalism Awards held November 14 at Fairmont Hotel, Makati City.

Flora received the Best Agriculture Feature Story Regional award for his article, “Government Worker’s Research Helps ‘Ulang’ Industry in CL,” which delves into how one man’s research efforts have boosted the ‘ulang’ (giant freshwater shrimp) industry, making Central Luzon the top producer in the country and strengthening local fisheries.

His second award, the Tobacco Product Alternative prize, was for “From Plant to Pet: Tobacco Leaf Extract Leads Way in New Veterinary Products,” a piece exploring innovative tobacco-based products developed by the National Tobacco Administration for veterinary use.

For his achievements, Flora received cash prizes, two iPads, and an Asian tour with other awardees set for 2025. He also made history as the first Brightleaf Hall of Fame awardee to rejoin the competition after earning the prestigious Oriental Leaf Award in 2019. This exclusive honor is granted to journalists who have won in any Brightleaf category for five consecutive years, a recognition Flora holds as the first Kapampangan to achieve.

With numerous accolades since 2013, Flora’s work spans feature writing, science, agriculture, and climate change journalism. In 2022, he earned the Sorpresang Sangkap award from the Mama Sita Foundation’s Mga Kwentong Pagkaincompetition and was named the Most Outstanding Kapampangan in Journalism by the Provincial Government of Pampanga. Flora has also been recognized by the Philippine Agricultural Journalists’ “Binhi” Awards and was a recipient of the Bantog: The Science for the People Media Awards by the Department of Science and Technology in 2018.

Flora’s recent Bright Leaf wins underscore his dedication to impactful storytelling in agriculture and environmental journalism, contributing to awareness and advancement within these vital sectors.