SUNSTAR Davao, a community newspaper and content provider based in Davao City, won both the Best in Business and Economic Reporting and Best in Photojournalism in the local daily categories of the 2017 Civic Journalism Community Press Awards of the Philippine Press Institute (PPI) held at the Hotel Jen in Manila on Friday, May 25.

It was also nominated for last year’s Best Edited Community Newspaper, an award bagged by Cebu Daily News.

The community newspaper is led by SunStar Davao editor-in-chief Stella Estremera.

“These awards are but testimonies to SunStar Davao's drive for excellence, recognizing that even with the influx of information today, the greatest currency is trust and we can only gain our readers' trust by delivering journalism at its best wherever our readers and followers may be in the world,” she said.

For Best in Business and Economic Reporting award, SunStar Davao was cited for its thorough but concise, balanced, and easy to read news reporting on business and economic activities in the community.

“SunStar Davao's milestone in business reporting, shows our commitment in supporting the vibrant business community of the city through the writing of quality business stories that highlights the development of the community and at the same time its challenges and needs,” SunStar Davao business editor Reuel John Lumawag said adding that the award will inspire the paper to continue to produce sensible stories that will inform and inspire readers and followers.

For Best in Photojournalism, the paper was recognized because of its exciting visual content where taglines and captions are consistently written with information and texture.

“With this, Sun Star Davao will continue to serve the community with real insights and faces through our lenses,” Sun Star Davao photojournalist Christian Mark “Macky” Lim shared.

SunStar Bacolod, also a member of SunStar news network in the Philippines, won Best in Environmental reporting. While The Freeman topped for the Best in Editorial Page.

For the weekly newspaper category, the Baguio Midland Courier won three awards: Best Edited Community Newspaper, Best in Environmental Reporting, and Best Editorial Page.

Businessweek Mindanao bagged Best in Business and Economic Reporting. For the Best in Photojournalism, Metro Post, secured the award.

Launched in 1996, the PPI Civic Journalism Community Press Awards is the first and only awards program of its kind in the country that recognizes regional newspapers not just for editorial excellence but also for their role as catalysts for community development.