Rappler’s Pia Ranada among 2024 TOYM awardees

MANILA, Philippines – Rappler community lead Pia Ranada was named one of The Outstanding Young Men (TOYM) awardees for 2024, the TOYM Foundation announced in a press conference and presentation of winners on Sunday, December 15, in Quezon City.

In a write-up by the organization, Ranada was described as “the voice of truth in turbulent times,” in recognition of her critical coverage of the presidency of Rodrigo Duterte and her current work in helping build trust between journalists and the public.

Apart from Ranada, Miss Universe 2015 Pia Wurtzbach is also a TOYM awardee this year for her advocacy to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS in the Philippines. Billie Dumaliang, the managing trustee and advocacy director of Masungi Georeserve Foundation, was also named a TOYM awardee, along with Jenica Dizon-Mountford, country director of Waves for Water Philippines, a humanitarian aid organization bringing safe water to communities.

Here is the complete list of the 2024 TOYM Awardees and the categories under which they were recognized:

• Jenica Dizon-Mountford, Humanitarian Service and Social Work
• Zig Dulay, Arts and Culture (TV and Film)
• Billie Dumaliang, Environmental Leadership and Community Development
• Roscinto Ian Lumbres, Forestry Agriculture and Other Applied Sciences
• Venazir Martinez, Arts and Culture
• Jose Gabriel Mejia, Arts and Culture
• Pia Ranada, Journalism and Mass Communications
• Dennis Umali, Veterinary Medicine
• Brent Andrew Viray, Rural Medicine and Surgery
• Pia Wurtzbach, Humanitarian Service and Social Work

Ranada’s win brings the number of Rappler TOYM award winners to four. These are the past TOYM awardees who are still with, or who have worked with Rappler:

• JC Punongbayan, Rappler economic analyst
• Patricia Evangelista, former Rappler investigative reporter
• Maria Ressa, Rappler CEO

The TOYM Award is a national recognition given yearly to Filipinos aged 18 to 40 who “have made significant contributions to their field or community,” according to the JCI Philippines website.

JCI Philippines is the organization that organizes the award and selection process, with support from the TOYM Foundation and its partners. The TOYM awards was created in 1959 by JCI Manila, which was then adopted by the national JCI. The first time women were given the award was in 1984. In 1996, the award was renamed “The Oustanding Young Filipinos” (TOYF), but was reverted back to TOYM after 1999. The JCI, according to their website, then asserted that the term “men” does not “distinguish the difference in gender.”

The 2024 TOYM awarding ceremony is set to take place in January. – Rappler.com