SMART Communications Inc., ABS-CBN’s DZMM.com.ph, and Stratworks Marketing Communications bagged the Top Awards in Communication Management, Communication Skills, and Communication Creative respectively, the highest honor bestowed on division winners at the 2012 Philippine Quill Awards during a black tie ceremony last night (Nov 12) at the Crown Plaza Galleria.

The Philippine Quill Awards is the annual program of the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) Philippines that recognizes excellent use of communication in the projects and campaigns of the country’s leading corporations and communication agencies.

This year’s edition of the Quill Awards, which will be telecast on ANC (SkyCable ch 27) in January, proved to be more thrilling and memorable than ever with the launch of 1st Philippine Student Quill Awards and the introduction of three special awards for organizations that received the most Excellence Awards. Awardees, guests and the elite of business filled the ballroom of the Crowne Plaza Galleria to its maximum capacity.

Making history was De La Salle University’s The Lasallian Facebook Page, which won the Top Award in 1st Philippine Student Quill Awards.

SMART Communications, meanwhile, won Company of the Year for bagging the most number of excellence awards, followed by the Manila Electric Company as first runner-up, and ABS-CBN Corporation as second runner-up.

Ogilvy Public Relations Manila bested other communications agencies to bring home the Agency of the Year, while Colegio San Juan de Letran bagged the School of the Year award.

For over a decade, the Philippine Quill Awards has been recognizing companies that have effectively and innovatively used communication in their programs and projects towards attaining their organization’s goals.

Each year, the country’s top companies, institutions and foundations in both private and public sectors, enter their best works in the Philippine Quill Awards’ 27 categories that cover the various disciplines in business communications ranging from communication campaigns to communication skills and creative.

This year, SMART’s Project Visa garnered the highest mark among Excellence Awardees in its division with an aggressive communication program that empowered its customers to “live more” by enabling them to do simple and routine transactions while on the go. The campaign’s success was evident as transactions through SMART’s online and on-site Self Care channels rose by 8 points by the end of 2012’s first quarter.

The re-launched website DZMM.com.ph of ABS-CBN’s flagship AM radio station, meanwhile, strengthened DZMM’s multiplatform news coverage and social media efforts, while also extending the reach of the station globally. With better graphics and new features, the site’s page views jumped more than 100% from 4,891,757 to 9,885,310 according to Google Analytics.

Stratworks’ End of the World Survival Kit for Axe Philippines, on the other hand, successfully introduced a new fragrance through a tongue and cheek campaign that went viral and achieved 200% of its target mileage. The La Sallian’s Facebook page also impressed the judges as it has become the news and feature resource of DLSU faculty, alumni, students, and even the general Filipino public.

IABC Philippines President and IABC Regional Director for North Asia Ritzi Villarico Ronquillo said the organization, the first country chapter of the IABC outside the United States, will continue motivating and supporting communication professionals post-Quill.

“This is a plus of joining ABC and its programs. We are committed to the growth, communication career support and continued learning of members and participants in our programs. Through access to global learning resources and researches and the IABC network, we provide learning for career and professional advancement and growth all year round,” she said, adding “We invite all to join us as we celebrate our 30th anniversary next year. ”

IABC Philippines Vice President and 2012 Awards Committee Chair Kane Errol Choa said this year’s Quill Awards turned out to be one of the biggest ever, in participation with a 25 percent increase in the entries from last year.

“This year’s turnout is a clear indication of the prestige and credibility of the Quill Awards. The country’s top corporations were not only more aggressive in pursuing the seal of approval of the IABC through participating in the contest, but they also came up with generally better entries to meet the International Gold Quill standards,” he explained.

The Gold Quill, deemed the highest honor in business communication, is awarded by the global IABC, a network of 15,500 communication professionals all over the world.

The Philippine Quill Awards’ gold sponsors include ABS-CBN Corporation, Metro Pacific Investments Corporation, San Miguel Corporation, and SMART Communications Inc., silver sponsors included Flawless Aesthetic Clinic, Manila Water Company, and Security Bank Corporation; and bronze sponsors Banco De Oro, First Philippine Holdings Corporation, Lopez Holdings Corporation, Manila Electric Co., Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation, Pag-Ibig Fund, and Team Energy.

Media partners, meanwhile, were Adobo Magazine; ANC, the ABS-CBN News Channel; Business Mirror, BusinessWorld, DZMM TeleRadyo, The Manila Bulletin, Manila Standard Today, Mediabanc, and The Philippine Star. Official tabulator was Reyes Tacandong and Co.