CABANATUAN CITY: Two provincial-based newspapermen were given recognition by fellow journalists in Nueva Ecija for the “great honor and inspiration” they shared after winning top places in the recently concluded 2008 Jose Burgos Jr. Awards for Biotech Journalism.

Cited by the Nueva Ecija Press Club, the umbrella organization of media practitioners in the province, were Dr. Anselmo Roque who writes for the Philippine Daily Inquirer (PDI) and Jojo De Guzman of Malaya. The recognition coincided with the journalists’ year-end get together on December 29,

Roque won the first prize for the award’s Best Feature Category for his article “Carabao may be key for biofuel, says scientist” while De Guzman landed third in its Best News Story Category for his story on “Rice variety that survives 2-week submergence developed.”

Nueva Ecija Press Club President and The Manila Times correspondent, Armand Galang, noted that both, as active members of the association, have brought immeasurable pride and inspiration to their fellow provincial journalists. He noted that 745 articles were submitted for the Burgos biotech journalism awards.

The awards, he said, also underscore Nueva Ecija’s major role in attaining the nation’s food sufficiency program. “Along with scientific institutions housed in our province,” Galang stressed, “are journalists who tackle not only controversial issues but developmental concerns.”