Cristina Eloisa Baclig, a data journalist with Inquirer.net, has been awarded the grand prize in the online category at the 2025 Merck Foundation Media Recognition Awards. Her award-winning pieces highlight significant health challenges faced by Filipinos.
Baclig's recognition comes from her in-depth reports on noncommunicable diseases, making complex medical topics accessible to the public.
Award-Winning Articles
Three of Baclig's articles were submitted for the competition. In 'Breaking Hearts and the Bank: The Cost of Heart Attack, Stroke in PH,' she analyzed the dual health and economic burdens of cardiovascular diseases in the country.
Another article, 'Hypertension: What to Know About the ‘Silent Killer,’' updates readers on one of the country's leading health threats. Her piece 'Diabetes: A Bitter Health Crisis for Filipinos' discusses the alarming increase in diabetes cases and emphasizes prevention strategies.
The Merck Foundation Media Recognition Awards, established in 2017, aim to acknowledge journalists from Africa, Asia, and Latin America for their reporting on crucial health and social issues.
These awards promote awareness and behavioral change on pressing health concerns like infertility stigma, diabetes, and hypertension.
Merck Foundation
This year, the awards recognized 125 winners from 32 different countries. Last year, Pia Piquero from Cebu Daily News Digital, part of the Inquirer Group, also secured a top spot in the same category.
Baclig has received accolades from various organizations, including the Philippine Statistics Authority and the Bright Leaf Agriculture Journalism Awards. She is a fellow at the Environmental Data Journalism Academy-Philippines.