THOMASIANS must look beyond glamor and popularity and vote for television shows and personalities that embody Filipino and Catholic values, the organizer of the annual USTv awards has said.
“This year’s USTv focuses more on the values and influences of TV programs, networks, and the personalities. It’s not all about the glamor and the fame; we look into the that which they portray and not the acting craft,” said Benjamin Zoilo Mario Ravanera III, president of the Student Organizations and Coordinating Council (SOCC), during the USTv Students’ Choice Awards kickoff party at Plaza Mayor last Dec. 13.
This prompted the SOCC to remove “unessential” awards such as best actor and best actress, and add six more categories including best network foundation, best full-length film, and best TV personality.
There will also be a more stringent selection process as five judges will trim the nominees to only five to six per category.
With the theme “Catholic Year of Faith,” the ninth edition of USTv aims to increase student voters’ turnout to at least 20,000 from last year’s estimated 8,000-10,000 voters.
“Our faith has declined but we must always go back to our roots, and our origins will always be our Thomasian values,” Ravanera said.
Representatives from ABS-CBN, GMA, TV5, Studio 23, and UNTV attended the kickoff. Unlike last year, there was no parade of celebrities around the campus before the launch.
The USTv Awards, which is headed by the Office of the Secretary General with the SOCC as its implementing arm, is the annual awarding ceremony for television programs that embody Filipino and Catholic values. Awards will be handed out in February next year.
