Megawide scored big in the recent Anvil Awards, as its 2021 Annual Sustainability Report (ASR) was adjudged as one of the best Public Relations Tools this year.
The report, entitled “Relentless,” was among the highest-ranked entries under the Publication sub-category of the 59th Anvil Awards.
According to AVP for Investor Relations Rolando Bondoy, the annual report documented the company’s travails and triumphs over a challenging year, both internally as an organization and the external factors that weighed in on its performance.
“True to its title, ‘Relentless captured Megawide’s journey in 2021, characterized by a prolonged pandemic, a nuisance legal case against one of its subsidiaries, and a devastating typhoon to cap the year that ravaged and temporarily disconnected Cebu, where the Entrant’s airport asset is located,” explained Bondoy. “The main challenge was to develop a creative handle that will capture our story, both in terms of editorial content and graphical approach, without deviating from a GRI-compliant template of an ASR. The material’s key message eventually encapsulated Megawide’s experience and resiliency enabled it to thrive and remain standing and strong”
Weathering the perfect storm
As for the concept and cover, the company official said that the ASR’s creative team went through several brainstorming exercises to conceptualize the ASR’s theme, considering continuity from the previous year as a primary consideration and overcoming numerous challenges at the center: “The idea should be unique and relevant, but not overly profound and abstract, within the local context and grounded in Megawide’s experience.”
He furthered that, after a series of deliberations, the team decided on the concept of “a perfect storm:” “The cover successfully depicted how Megawide bore the scars of a rough year filled with external challenges, through the image of a paper boat battered by wave after wave amid a raging storm.”
Apart from customary disclosures, the ASR chronicled Megawide’s sustainability journey. “It used the Global Reporting Initiative Standards as its template, and even secured a Materiality Disclosure Service from the same institution as a seal of approval,” according to Bondoy. “Overall, we were able to provide updates on both its financial and non-financial accomplishments – regardless of circumstances.”
Specifically, the Megawide AVP said the ASR effectively reported on the company’s progress along its economic, environmental, social, and governance commitment to all its stakeholders, and how these contributed to United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
‘Oscars of PR’
Bondoy, together with Elizabeth Macanaya of Corporate Branding and Saleah Uclusin of Megawide Foundation, formally received the award during the “Gabi ng Parangal” on January 31, 2024 at the Marriott Hotel Grand Ballroom.
Megawide’s submission was among 28 Gold Anvil Awards recipients out of 179 total awardees and 480 entries received from some 100 companies. All went through a multi-phase evaluation process of screening, and online assessments by this year’s Board of Judges composed of respected and experienced communication professionals from business, government, academe, and civil society.
Considered by peers and local practitioners in the industry as the “Oscars of PR,” the Anvil Awards is presented annually by the Public Relations Society of the Philippines. According to its website, the “Anvils” are “awarded to outstanding public relations programs, tools and now, practitioners, after careful screening by select PR professionals and judging by a distinguished multi-sectoral jury.”
Bondoy also disclosed that the ASR and microsite was made available online in time for the company’s virtual Annual Stockholders’ Meeting on June 30, 2022.
The company official explained that, as a publicly-listed entity, Megawide is required to report on its performance to a diverse set of stakeholders, including its employees; customers; communities being served; regulatory bodies; nongovernment organizations and corporate social responsibility partners; investors and funders of its environment, social and governance functions; and lenders, among others.
