The charm of Anvil Awards

Receiving the award on behalf of First Gen are Estela dela Paz and Joel Gaborni.

In April 1962, I was plucked from the ranks of the Public Relations Society of the Philippines (PRSP) by then president Zacarias Nuguid to help establish the Anvil Awards.

As the PRSP board envisioned, the Anvil trophies would be symbolized by a solid and heavy iron block on which public perception is “shaped.” Today, 50 years later, the Anvil Awards have become the most coveted prize for excellence in public relations. During the 47th Anvil Awards last Feb. 24, there were 283 entries in the PR program category of which only 21 earned the Anvil Award of Excellence.

Why are the country’s most prominent firms fiercely attracted to submit entries to win a trophy?

The Anvil Award is not just any trophy. It is a tribute, an accolade bestowed by PRSP for exceptional PR programs. Each Anvil entry is painstakingly screened and weighed by 30 jurors chosen for their competence and integrity.

The 1st grand Anvil was given to the Manila Times in 1963 for its program Operation Quick Count. The program greatly minimized anomalies during the 1961 presidential elections which was won by then Vice President Diosdado Macapagal over incumbent President Carlos Garcia.

San Miguel Corp. earned the Anvil Hall of Fame in 1998 for winning the grand Anvil five times.

Malampaya (Shell-Chevron-PNOC) won the grand Anvil in 2003 for its Give a Life Now: Sitio Agusuhin Development Program. This project turned Sitio Agusuhin in Subic from a poor fishing town into a progressive community with improved education and modern healthcare facilities.

MetroBank Foundation won back-to-back Grand Anvils for its Search for Outstanding Teachers in 2010, and Teachers’ Month Campaign in 2011.

In the most recent 47th Anvil Awards, Nestle Philippines Inc. won the Grand Anvil for the company’s 100 years in the Philippines.

Smart Communications harvested the biggest yield in the history of the Anvils with 31 trophies.

This year, SN Aboitiz Power (SNAP) and SN Power Philippines (SN) again ran off with three Anvil Awards.

These are just a few of the long list of Anvil Awards that have helped sustain our country’s growth. If we can create a society of Anvil awardees, it is a cinch that, by 2020, we could become the next Asian tiger.

(The author is president and CEO of Euro RSCG Agatep PR and group chairman of Euro RSCG Manila.)