Philippine Blog Awards 2005
Photo Blog Site of the year award
I just got this really neat trophy from Philippine Blog Awards. It took some time since I somehow overlooked their email and wasn’t able to give my address for delivery. Again, my gratitude goes out to the award winning body who honored this site with this award as “Photo Blog Site of the Year” and the regular visitors of this site.
But recently, there’s been some controversy surrounding the PBA (Philippine Blog Awards) and the recent results of the winners. It started with Kid Flash X’s of live@USA.ph podcast comments on calling it “Bogus”, “A joke” and questioning “Who are these people?” who won the awards. And on the latest episode, riding on the fame of controversy is questioning the “Award Giving Body” itself. In truth, it’s the first time I even heard of these guys or the site itself. I didn’t somehow see them in PBA’s hundreds of nomination list, either they didn’t enter their site or nobody nominated them.
The PBA has been giving awards since 2003, but it was only until now (to my knowledge) that the results caused quite a stir in the blogging community. Probably because “Blogging” has gained ground and was really popular in 2005. Everyone seems to want to have their own blog-spotlight. And there have been a number of popular Philippine blogs out there listed on Yugatech’s Top 100 Philippine Blogs based on Technorati, that didn’t make it to the winners list.
Hahaha! Honestly I don’t know what to make of this controversy. Live@USA.ph may have a point on their recent podcast that PBA should have valid criterias for judging as well as proper marketing, and should realize how big the blogging community is right now. My only qualm with them is to question “Who these people are?” who are listed in the finals or the winners. This isn’t a popularity contest and popularity doesn’t necessarily make a “Good Blog”. I share the same sentiments with Sean of Length of Words on his Blog Theory on what comprises a good blog.
Well, for me it’s up to the people who read this blog whether they find if I deserve the award or not. But I’d be a hypocrite not to say that I do enjoy having this award, because I honestly didn’t expect to have it since the guys at the finals with me are really really good. Yet I am thankful for it.
Tags: Ramblings
Posted on
Thursday, January 26th, 2006 at 5:43 pm 
Subscribe through 
January 26th, 2006 at 8:56 pm
CONGRATS!!!
January 27th, 2006 at 10:25 am
Congrats, you won and you deserve it!
There will always be people who will claim that their site is better and that they deserve the honor.
Anyway it is so subjective. I participate in a lot of photo contests and I know it is like winning or loosing at the lottery. I had the luck (in the past) to follow quite closely the World Press Photo awards. The winner(s) were never on my nomination list but without doubt the photographers who won deserved the award.
In the end, there can only be one winner. This year it is you! Enjoy and keep blogging.
January 27th, 2006 at 12:39 pm
They’re just sour grapes.
January 27th, 2006 at 12:55 pm
ha! deserving na deserving no doubt. saka wika nga ni yuga, deserving ka rin manalo ng blogsite of the year. (no offense sa iluvdesignlabproj)
January 27th, 2006 at 4:15 pm
from the day I went to this site and have come to frequent it, there was no doubt in my mind that you deserve that award. “Kumpletos Recados” ika nga. Bukod sa pictures may mga historical background and other tidbits na kasama sa post, so ano pang hahanapin mo?
CONGRATS Ferdz!!! God Bless!!!
January 28th, 2006 at 12:13 am
Congrats Ferdz!!!
galeng mo! ..ala bang blowout dyan?..
January 28th, 2006 at 3:13 am
congratulation:-) great work
January 28th, 2006 at 8:48 am
Man you really deserve it congrats!!!!!
January 28th, 2006 at 7:29 pm
mehn, you got the trophy which is really mine eh? hehe..kidding.
seriously, those guys are sourgrapes. you deserve what is right to be with all the effort and dedication to your posts and of course your blog. i salute you, mehn!
congrats!
January 28th, 2006 at 11:52 pm
congrats, ferdz! you so deserve it! your pictures bring us expats close to home in our hearts…we pack a virtual suitcase with your wonderful travel photos everyday.
January 29th, 2006 at 11:57 am
heyheyhey…delayed reaction to this entry…CONGRATULATIONS! keep shooting them beautiful
February 2nd, 2006 at 6:13 pm
congrats!
i’m sure you deserve your award, but i’d just like to comment on this quote: “This isn’t a popularity contest…”
my problem with the PBA is that nobody knows what the criteria are. the fact that some not-so-popular blogs win awards MAY mean that it is NOT a popularity contest. but who knows for sure?
maybe it’s not a popularity contest in terms of blog readership, but maybe it IS a popularity contest among the judges, whoever they are. that may or may not be true, but the point is this: nobody really knows.
and until the mechanics, criteria and judges are known, no one can really make any claims about how the whole thing works.
April 19th, 2006 at 10:54 am
Congratulations! You truly deserve the award!