Imbestigador wins silver at the US International Film & Video Fest

MANILA, Philippines - Imbestigador, one of GMA’s flagship news and public affairs programs, won the Silver Screen Award at the recent US International Film & Video Festival (USIFVF). It is the only Philippine program to win the coveted award this year.

Smuggled Pinoys, the Imbestigador special report on human trafficking, which aired last year in celebration of the program’s 10th anniversary, bested entries from all over the world in the Documentary: Television: TV News: Investigative/Special Reports category.

Hosted by Mike Enriquez (photo), the Imbestigador team entered the sinister and organized realm of human trafficking to uncover the plight of “smuggled Filipinos.” These are a growing number of Filipino workers who risk everything, from their safety to their savings, just to secure a decent job abroad. But instead of getting a chance at a better life, they end up as modern day slaves — delivered, exported and sold to foreign syndicates in different parts of the world like commodities.

Through extensive preparation, research and documentation, Imbestigador traces the human traffickers’ trail and expose their illicit methods of recruitment: from convincing the innocent victims in the most impoverished areas in the Philippines, to smuggling them to one of Southeast Asia’s primary destination for trafficked persons — Malaysia.

Now on its 11th year, Imbestigador continues to provide fearless exposes, hard-hitting investigative reports and compelling cases. Just recently, the program was the first to break the story on VIP treatment in prison with its V.I.P. sa Preso episode which exposed the special treatment that moneyed inmates enjoy, as well as the greed, corruption and other criminal activities inside the very prison that is supposed to reform inmates.

“I dream of — and I’m not sure if this will come true during my generation — a time when programs like Imbestigador would not be needed anymore. Ibig sabihin nun, wala nang nang-aabuso, nanlalamang, nangloloko. Thank you, U.S. International Film & Video Festival. Hindi namin kayo tatantanan,” Enriquez said.

Imbestigador airs every Saturday after Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho.