Five alumni of the University of the Philippines College of Media and Communication will be presented the 2025 Glory Awards, formally known as the Gawad Gloria Feliciano, at the UPCMC annual homecoming tomorrow, Feb. 28.
Those to be recognized for excellence and impact in their fields are veteran journalist Roberto Coloma, digital market research trailblazer Melissa Abad Santos-Baron, community worker and civic leader Elena Buensalido-Mangahas, independent filmmaker Ellen Ongkeko-Marfil, and business editor-columnist Iris Gonzales.
The UPCMC annual homecoming will be held at the Commission on Higher Education Auditorium in UP Diliman. The awarding ceremony will be co-hosted by alumni Tuesday Vargas, RS Francisco and Kata Inocencio, with trophies designed by UP professor emeritus and alumni board member Grace Javier Alfonso.
Now in its ninth year, the Glory Awards Night presented by San Miguel Corp. is organized by the UPCMC Alumni Association and coincides with the college’s 60th anniversary.
“Our honorees exemplify excellence and impact in their fields, bringing pride to our alma mater and inspiring the UPCMC community,” said alumni association president and PTV-4 general manager Malou Choa-Fagar.
This year’s jury included former UP vice president for public affairs and past UPCMC dean Dr. Elena Pernia; Philippine Communication Society past president Dr. Lourdes Portus; professor and former Manunuri ng Pelikulang Pilipino chair Dr. Gary Devilles; veteran television producer Chit Guerrero; TV commercial director and 2024 Glory awardee Mandy Reyes; UPCMC dean Dr. Diosa Labiste; and former ANC and CNN Philippines news director Jing Magsaysay, representing the family of Dr. Gloria Feliciano.
The Glory Awards were established in 2017 to recognize alumni whose achievements in journalism, film, communication research, broadcasting, and allied fields evoke the legacy of Feliciano, the pioneering dean of UP’s mass communication program and who led the college in 1965-1985.
The awardees
Coloma has devoted 40 years to journalism, rising to become bureau chief of Agence France-Presse in Singapore and Malaysia. He started out as editor in chief of the UP Philippine Collegian. His work has earned him the Catholic Mass Media Award and the National Order of Merit, with the rank of Chevalier, from French President Jacques Chirac. He served as president of the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines and reported on landmark global events, from the Hong Kong handover to the Trump-Kim summit.
Abad Santos-Baron holds a four-decade track record in marketing research, mastering research management, analytics, and business development. As co-founder of GoodThinking Research Inc. and FastforwardMR Corporation, she championed agile, insight-driven approaches and the digitization of research processes. She was three-term president of the Marketing and Opinion Research Association of the Philippines and held other leadership roles in industry standards and digital adoption. She has also supported consumer advocacy projects and the ICANSERVE Foundation, influencing public health campaigns and cancer care policy.
Gonzales’ work as a journalist bridges the intersections of politics, social issues, and economic policy. In her thrice-weekly column, “Eyes Wide Open,” in the Philippine Star, she has exposed misuse of public funds, corporate vested interests, and government shortcomings, and championed marginalized communities. Her investigative reports have influenced public discourse and policy, earning multiple “Feature Story of the Year” honors from the Economic Journalists Association of the Philippines. She has joined repatriation missions, documented the plight of Filipino fishers, and covered the Duterte administration’s “war on drugs” as well as children’s cancer care.
Buensalido-Mangahas dedicated 34 years to professional and civil service work in San Joaquin County in California, where she championed workforce development and connected young people to training, jobs, and volunteer opportunities. She held volunteer leadership posts, including as executive director of the Asia Pacific Concerns Committee, senior board member of Little Manila Rising, and president of the Rotary Club of Central Stockton. A lifetime member of the Filipino American National Historical Society, she has advocated for immigrant communities, women’s empowerment, youth with disabilities, and mentoring of minority leaders. She is also involved in the arts and literature through performances in local theater, historical documentaries, and Filipino American productions.
Ongkeko-Marfil has distinguished herself in Philippine independent cinema through her production house, Erasto Films. Her feature films Boses, Mga Pusang Gala, and Lakbay2Love combine artistry, themes of healing and resilience, and advocacy for child protection, gender equality, and environmental awareness. In 2025, she premiered Lakambini: Gregoria de Jesus, which revived public awareness of the Katipunan heroine. She has won recognitions from Cinemalaya and CineEuropa Festival in Palawan, and across the United States at the Frameline, G2 Green Earth, and International Social Change film festivals. Her works are screened in schools, communities, and global forums on education and social change. She is co-founder of Pelikulove.com, a multi-arts portal that nurtures new voices in film and theater. CONTRIBUTED
