Fresh off her win at the ContentAsia Awards for the documentary “Secret Slaves,” highly esteemed GMA Public Affairs host Jessica Soho is set to raise the Philippine flag anew—this time at the prestigious 2024 Association for International Broadcasting (AIBs) Awards in London, for the Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho (KMJS) episode “Minahan sa Homonhon Island” (Nickel and Dime: The Cost of Mining in Homonhon Island).
“Minahan sa Homonhon Island,” which aired in KMJS earlier this year, is nominated in AIBs’ Sustainability category. The investigative documentary delved into the detrimental effects of large-scale mining in Homonhon Island, Guian, Eastern Samar. The episode generated discussions online as Soho flew to Guiuan, Eastern Samar to personally investigate the issue.
Soho expressed her gratitude to the AIBs for the nomination, dedicating the latest recognition to the residents of the island. “We would like to give back the honor to the people of Homonhon island in Eastern Samar of Central Philippines. They were the ones who called our attention to their plight and their story – how their beautiful and historic island is being ravaged by several large-scale mining operations for ore and nickel,” says Soho.
“These are minerals that mostly serve the foreign market, and until now, the residents continue to ask: if it’s true that mining brings riches and development, why is it that majority of them remain poor as their island is slowly being turned into a wasteland? A story can only do so much, but we would like to think that by recognizing our work, AIB is helping us amplify the voices that should be heard. Thank you,” she adds.
Soho’s program stands alongside international entries from media giants Al Jazeera English, CBC/Radio Canada, and a report by Anderson Cooper from CNN Worldwide.
The AIBs honor the highest standards in journalism and factual productions across television, radio, and digital platforms. Being shortlisted is a remarkable accomplishment already, especially given the intense competition this year, with over 400 hours of content submitted by 80 companies from 16 different countries.
The winners of this year’s AIBs will be announced on November 22, 2024, at IET London: Savoy Place.
Earlier this month, another work of Soho won an international award.
At the 2024 ContentAsia Awards, the documentary “Secret Slaves,” presented by Soho alongside Emil Sumangil and John Consulta, won as the Best Current Affairs Programme Made in Asia for Regional Asia and/or International Markets.
The documentary explored various forms of human trafficking, including victims of cyber scams and online gaming operations both within and outside the country.
“We are very proud of our documentary “Secret Slaves” – a product of our team’s hard work to expose the illegal operations of Scam Cities or Cybercrime Hubs,” Soho shares.
“It is a groundbreaking documentary because long before the so-called POGOs or Philippine Offshore Gaming Operations were investigated by legislators in the Philippines for various illegal activities like human trafficking, our team had already discovered how these operate, overseas. The operators hire foreign workers, including Filipinos, offering them lucrative jobs only to force and torture them into scamming people from various parts of the world. Thank you, ContentAsia, for honoring our work and good journalism and content,” she adds.
The recognition of these two investigative stories further underscores Soho’s reputation as one of the leading investigative journalists in Asia, with her team’s work continuing to amplify the voices of those in need.
Soho continues to produce impactful reports for Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho, coinciding with the program’s 20th anniversary this November. For more stories about the Kapuso Network, visit www.GMANetwork.com.
