It was a celebration of the region’s best and brightest when the 24th Asian Television Awards was held at the Newport Performing Arts Theater at Resorts World Manila in Pasay City on Jan. 10 to 12.
This was the first time the celebrated awards festival, considered as the region’s most prestigious gathering of Asian TV celebrities and professionals, was held in the Philippines since its founding in 1996.
Overall, almost 60 awards were given out during the three-day awards festival that saw over 300 actors, filmmakers, TV directors and producers gracing the event.
During the Technical and Creative Awards Night of the 24th Asian TV Awards on Jan. 10, the Philippines’ Synergy 88 Entertainment Media Inc. won the Best 2D Animated Program award for their show Barangay 143, which the company considers as the “first Filipino anime.” It aired on TV network GMA-7.
“This award is not just for us. It is for all talented Filipino animators out there,” Synergy 88 programs manager Jan Kristoffer Enriquez.
Catherine Yap-Yang of cable news channel ANC won the Best News Presenter or Anchor award.
Yang, who had won the Best TV Newscaster award at the Asian Television Awards from 2001 to 2003, is the anchor of the ANC show Market Edge with Cathy Yang.
Meanwhile, the best and brightest actors and programs from Asia were honored during the Awards Ceremony on Jan. 11.
Among the highlights of the night include Filipino actor Martin del Rosario winning the Best Leading Male Performance – Digital category for his role as the transwoman Barbs in the series Born Beautiful. He bested three other actors from Thailand, including popular actors Teeradon Supapunpinyo and Krissanapoom Pibulsonggram of Line TV’s The Great Men Academy.