ICSC grants 2024 Jaime Espina Klima Correspondents Fellowship to 10 teams

QUEZON CITY, 25 November 2024 – Ten teams composed of journalists and visual storytellers from across the Philippines have been selected as Fellows for the second batch of the Jaime Espina Klima Correspondents Fellowship. These Fellows will produce compelling stories that highlight the challenges and opportunities of the country’s transition to renewable energy systems.

Now in its second year, the Fellowship continues to pay tribute to the late Jose Jaime “Nonoy” Espina, a journalist and passionate advocate for press freedom and media workers’ welfare. The Fellowship program, organized by the Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities, recognizes the need for stories that bring the realities of climate and energy transitions into sharper focus, particularly from regional and community perspectives.

Fellows will attend a three-day in-person learning session in Metro Manila from December 10 to 12, 2024, for a training on energy reporting, journalism ethics, and visual storytelling. The sessions will include workshops on data journalism, photography, and media safety, as well as consultations with experts in the fields of climate policy and renewable energy.

Following the in-person sessions, Fellows will refine their story proposals with guidance from mentors and experts. Each team will receive a grant of PHP 100,000, covering reporting expenses, stipends, and other costs essential to their storytelling efforts.

The Fellows’ final outputs, ranging from written articles to audiovisual stories, will be published by their respective media organizations and shared through ICSC’s platforms, contributing to a growing body of work that highlights the importance of renewable energy in the country’s development.

This year’s Fellows were selected through a rigorous screening process, with input from a distinguished panel of journalists, editors, and energy and climate experts. The Fellowship is made possible with the support of the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP), the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines (FOCAP), and data consultancy firm Thibi.

The selected Fellows and their story proposals are as follows:

Feliciano Genevieve and Ang Avon (Altermidya – People’s Alternative Media Network)
Lumad Resistance Against Coal Mining’s Threat to Ancestral Lands in Lake Sebu
Michael Philip Beltran and Geela Maryse Garcia (Mongabay)
Be Like Water: Micro-hydro alternatives in the Cordillera region
Maria Elena Catajan and Sherwin De Vera (Northern Dispatch/North Luzon Monitor)
Energy Projects in Cordillera: Success, Struggles, and Community Impact
Marina Herrera and Vermarie Carranza (Radyo Natin Guimba DWTC 105.3FM)
Agrivoltaics in Nueva Ecija: Harvesting Food and Energy for Climate Resilience
Antonio L. Colina IV and Enrimand Esmer Dejeto (MindaNews)
Tapping into the power of rivers to produce renewable energy for IP communities in Davao
John Sebastian Sitchon and Jacqueline Hernandez (Rappler)
How Solar Energy Supports Olango’s Wildlife Rangers and Communities in Cebu
Rjay Castor and Joshua Mendoza (Daily Guardian)
Iloilo City’s Net-Metering Program: Paving the Way for Renewable Energy and Reducing Costs
Neil Ambion and Cindy Aquino (Pinoy Weekly)
Barriers to Greener Transport: How policies and infrastructure projects hinder the promotion of greener modes of transport in Metro Manila
Lilian Tiburcio and Mark Louie Ladesma (GMA News Network)
Empowering Tawi-Tawi: How Renewable Energy and Innovation Boost Seaweed Farming Resilience
Elvie Villarido-Manaytay and Antonio Manaytay (ZS Tribune Today/Sun Times Philippines)
Hydrogen-Powered Development in Zamboanga Sibugay’s Olutanga Island