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.
