The Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) was presented on Wednesday with the Agence France-Presse's prestigious Kate Webb Award for its outstanding contributions to press freedom.

The Kate Webb award is for local reporters or media organizations in the Asia-Pacific who have produced exceptional work in dangerous or difficult circumstances, or have demonstrated moral or physical courage while reporting.

It carries prize money of 5,000 euros, which will be used by the PCIJ to conduct a training program for Filipino journalists on how to safely conduct investigative reporting in dangerous environments.

The AFP Foundation and the Webb family commended the PCIJ for its fearless investigative reporting over two decades, the dangers of which were highlighted with the massacre of 57 people, including 30 media workers, in Maguindanao province last year.

“The PCIJ has been a beacon of press freedom in the Philippines, and deserves to be a source of inspiration for all of us who believe that journalists should shine a light in all the dark corners of our societies, whether it pleases those concerned or not,” AFP Asia Pacific director Eric Wishart said.

PCIJ Executive Director Malou Mangahas received the award at a ceremony attended by Wishart, Philippine media executives and Webb's relatives at the Museum Cafe in Makati.

“We are most humbled and fully inspired by this award and the legacy of Ms. Kate Webb. We accept it in honor of over a hundred Filipino journalists, including 32 in Maguindanao, who have been killed for bringing to light the evils of corruption, political dynasties and bad governance,” Mangahas said.