My Blog Receives An Award and a Token as a 'Labor of Love'

Gil Camporazo holds a token as the best blogger.

The "labor of Love" is symbolized by a plow which is the token I received from Negros Bloggers to recognize me as one of the best bloggers in the Visayas in this year 2011.  NB/NDB writer Gil Severino, the program emcee puts it as a "labor of love" and it is very true indeed for my name so suggests it is an acrostic of God Is Love.

The awards I received were the "Best Blog in Culture and Arts" for Tumandok and "Best Blog in Lifestyles" for RandomThoughts!. These were given by the prestigious award-giving body, The Philippine Blog Awards Inc. established in 2007 which aims "to recognize the best in the Filipino Blogging Community."

The Philippine Blog Awards is a yearly event that aims to give recognition to outstanding blogs in but not limited to the Filipino Blogging Community. The Philippine Blog Awards is organized by the Philippine Blogger Awards Inc. a non-stock and non-profit corporation.

In Culture and Arts category, there are 4 nominees:

1. Tribo’s Cup
2. RandomThoughts!
3. The Ilonggo Network 
4. CebuRunnning

RandomThoughts  Best Lifestyle Blog

"80% content and 20% design and usability are the criteria for this year's blog awards," informed PBA President Juned Sonido in his brief message.

And my blogs were able to meet these requirements and were able to excel other nominated blogs.

These awards were the fruits of my diligence to blog, making it informative, educative, and entertaining for my followers, readers, and for those who happen to come across with their search from the net.

I dedicate these recognitions to the Divine Providence who blessed me of what I've achieved right now. And I also offer these awards to my loving wife, Rebing and supportive children, and to my makulit three primary grade grandchildren who always over ran me both in my laptop and in my desktop for their educative leisure time.

My mind is clearly vibrating my mission in blogging: It is in blogging that I share my thoughts, my experiences, my ups and downs and even my dreams for others to learn to influence or change their way of life for the better.

In so doing, I'm hoping that my fellow bloggers may join me in this noble task: it is in sharing that we care. It is in sharing that we love. And it is in loving that we are united.

And therefore this is the very premise why I blog!

The 2011 Philippine Blog Awards Visayas winners are as follows:

1. Culture and Arts – Tumandok
2. Food and Beverage – Flavours of Iloilo
3. Lifestyle – RandomThoughts
4. Personal – The Young Pinoy Blogger
5. Photoblog – onethirdpoundpatty
6. Technology – Leon Kilat: The Cybercafe Experiments
7. Travel – Backpack Traveler

Tumandok  Best Culture and Arts Blog

RandomThoughts! came to being 3 February 2011. I blogged about beliefs, family, education, news of general interest, lifestyles, among others. Anyway as you may take your time in browsing my blog archives you may know some of my interests.

My desire to write blog was challenged when Negros Bloggers President H. James Toga added me to Negros Bloggers closed group in Facebook. I became acquainted with the members of NB. And I sensed my belongingness with this group of students, government employees, freelance writers, businessmen, realtors, legal luminaries, news reporters who were the core or the pioneers of NB. I followed up their blogs and I said to myself I was defied to do my best, but of course not to compete with them for they'd different fields of expertise. Doing my best of my own is the answer.

I never had realized or had an idea that Philippine Blog Awards had already been giving recognition to those Filipino bloggers. Nevertheless I did blog regularly to express my thoughts that came along the way. Until I came across with one of the NB members announcing the very deadline of submitting one's blog to PBA. I was thinking before that Negros Bloggers would just host this prestigious awarding ceremonies, dismissing the idea that Negros bloggers were also entitled to submit their own blog. When one member posted in FB that she had already nominated herself to the site of the said giving-award site, I was curious and challenged to nominate my own blog. And I did nominate my two blogs: randomthoughts! and tumandok three days before the deadline of September 30, 2011.

And that's it! Out of "labor of love", my blogs were updated regularly and eventually were chosen from among the 8,000 submitted entries. The first blog to be awarded as the "Best Blog in Culture and Arts" was Tumandok, a repository of Hiligaynon dialect works of Western Visayas natives, which was created in 17 September 2011 and the RandomThoughts!, my second blog which was created 3 February 2011 was named as the "Best Blog in Lifestyle" category.  The Philippine Blog Awards through its President Juned Sonido relayed the official results to the Negros Bloggers core group and the respective presenters made the final announcement at awarding rites at Silay City Historical Museum, Negros Occidental, Philippines yesterday, November 12.

"Our very own, Sir Gil Camporazo made us truly proud for bagging not one but two awards for “Culture and Arts” and “Lifestyle”. He is a school principal by profession but has a passion for writing. Kudos Sir Gil and we hope you inspire the younger generation to blog!" blogged Glady Tomulto in her Experience Negros.

"Negros Blogger won an award ...but in a curious providence, he not only won an award but... two of his blogs. Sir Gil Camporazo, a Negros Blogger and a school principal from La Carlota City bagged the day with two awards," expressed Mark Mayo-Magallanes in his blog, Republika Negrense.

Late last night, several fellow Negros Bloggers like Judge Ray Alan T. Drilon, Eduardo Mirambel JOven, Marchel Espina, Maritel Riego Ledesma, Audrey Rose Mecabalo, Vir Antonio Silva, H James Toga, Gil Alfredo Severino, Mark Mayo-Magallanes, Maricar Dabao, among others poured Negros Bloggers page with congratulatory greetings for the honor I've reaped.

And this morning, my high school classmate Christine Guerra, Ruth Convite, Jenny Sortigosa-Sitchon, Ma. Paz Martinez-Ortega, Juliet Tolentino, Ruth Famillaran, Luna Lim-Tingson, Lelanie Youngs, Mansueto Solis, Ymelda Pereira, Agnes Fegarido Camporaso, Lorena Quizan-Martinez, Lloyd Rt, among others extended their appreciation.

Lately, the DepEd-La Carlota City through its assistant schools division superintendent Ferdinand S.Sy relayed how proud the Division of La Carlota to have school principal like me as one of this year 2011 PBA, Inc. awardees.

To all of you, thank you very much.