Thanks to HBF Prize in Japan Prize Contest &
J.P. Asian Session -PI Prize Producers

The awards presentation ceremony for the 29th Japan Prize international educational broadcasting programs contest was held at the NHK Hall in Tokyo on November 6th, 2002. One of the awards in the annual contest, the HBF Prize, was given to a TV program “Edukhasyon…Poverty and Education: In-Depth- Episode 11” produced jointly by Ms. Rowena Encarnation Cantuba, Mr. Jean Paolo Rafael Hernandez, and Ms. Janice Legaspi Jose of the Tomasian Cable Television of the Philippines. The jury of the contest selected the Philippine program for an excellent program produced with limited means but has maximum educational effect.

The sponsor of the award, Hoso-Bunka Foundation, HBF, was delighted with the news since the awarding was a result of a seminar - the First Japan Prize Asian Session held in the Philippines which was supported by the HBF.

The three Philippine producers were among the participants of the seminar held in Queson City last May. They happened to know in the seminar about the Japan Prize as the most prestigious award to be given to educational broadcasting programs. They spoke actively in the seminar and were encouraged to make entry to the latest Japan Prize contest. They also registered as observers of the contest and visited to Tokyo with their own expenses.

They met the HBF General Managing Director, Noriyuki Musha, prior to the awards presentation ceremony. Here is what they said as follows:
“It is a great pleasure for us to receive the HBF Prize.”
“We are very grateful that the HBF had sponsored the Japan Prize Asian Session in the Philippines, which was quite freely open to us. The session helped us produce a program, which showed to the world that the education can be meaningful for students and children even in such a simple visual as what we have done.”
“We hope that the HBF Prize will continue to inspire us and more producers to create educational programs, and will also continue to give opportunities of the Asian Session to a lot of TV producers in Asian countries, who, we are very sure, are waiting for them.”

The HBF has been bearing relation to the Japan Prize contest as not only the sponsor of the HBF Prize in the contest, but as also the supporter of the distribution of copies of the prize-winning programs in the contest with scenarios in English through Japan Prize Libraries stationed in Japan and 13 other countries.

This year, the HBF also provided the Japan Prize secretariat with a grant to help open a regional seminar. The Japan Prize seminar set forth to the Philippines to open the First Asian Session in view of frequent uses of the Japan Prize Library by broadcasters in the country.

Ms.Cantuba	Mr.Hernandez	Ms.Jose