SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Damaris Suárez Lugo, a journalist with the Centro de Periodismo Investigativo (CPI), will be honored Saturday with the Aníbal González Irizarry Award, the Overseas Press Club’s (OPC) highest award for lifetime achievement in journalism.
In selecting Suárez Lugo, the OPC jury cited her distinguished three-decade career in accountability journalism covering government, public policy and issues of social concern across multiple platforms.
“Damaris Suárez’s work over nearly a decade at the CPI has strengthened our investigations through her journalistic rigor, her ability to analyze complex information and her skill in placing matters of significant public interest in context. We can only be grateful for her contributions and for this well-deserved recognition,” said Carla Minet, the CPI’s executive director.
Suárez Lugo also served as president of the Puerto Rico Journalists Association (Asppro, in Spanish), and numerous organizations have recognized her work over the years.
“Suárez Lugo’s abilities as a journalist are unquestionable. She is rigorous, responsible and tenacious in her pursuit of information. She has extensive knowledge of government processes, exceptional analytical skills, sources across the political spectrum and a firm commitment to public service,” Minet added.
CPI Journalists Among Award Finalists
Other CPI journalists are also finalists in the Excellence in Journalism Awards competition, which will be held Saturday, Aug. 22, at the Puerto Rico Museum of Art.
Photo by Brandon Cruz González | Centro de Periodismo Investigativo
The investigations “What’s Behind Esencia,” by Luis Joel Méndez, and “The Mystery Behind Politank: Who Really Owns Puerto Rico’s Powerful Lobbying Firm?,” by Luis Valentín, both of the CPI, are finalists for the A-Mark Award for Investigative Journalism. The award, being presented for the first time, recognizes reporting of major impact and public interest in Puerto Rico. Valentín was also selected this year as a fellow with the ProPublica Local Reporting Network.
Valentín and Méndez are also finalists for the Eneid Routte-Gómez Award for best investigative report for “The Mystery Behind Politank: Who Really Owns Puerto Rico’s Powerful Lobbying Firm” and “What’s Behind Esencia,” respectively. They are also finalists in the Special Awards category, along with CPI reporter José Encarnación.
Photo by Brandon Cruz González | Centro de Periodismo Investigativo
Journalist Víctor Rodríguez was nominated in the Breaking News category for his story “Trump Administration Cuts $350 Million in University Funds, Puerto Rico Hit Especially Hard,” as well as in the In-Depth Interview category for “University of Puerto Rico’s First Woman President Appeals for Trust Amid Political Scrutiny and Budget Woes.”
Vanesa Baerga, a Puerto Rican journalist based in Chicago and a CPI fellow, is a finalist for the Carmen Millán Pabón Award for Human Interest Reporting for her story “Growing Old Alone: How Puerto Rican Migration Reshaped Family Care”.
CPI data journalist Gabriela Carrasquillo was nominated in the Multimedia Journalism category.
In late July, the CPI led all news organizations in winners at the 32nd edition of the National Journalism Awards presented by the Puerto Rico Journalists Association, receiving six national awards and one honorable mention. In addition, CPI health reporter Amanda Pérez Pintado received the Laura Rivera Meléndez Special Award for Young Journalist of the Year. In all, 11 CPI journalists, photojournalists and fellows received honors for outstanding work.
The Book “Los Estragos del Apagón” Is a Finalist for an International Award
In addition, “Los estragos del apagón,” a book written by journalist Eliván Martínez Mercado and published by Editorial CPI, was named a finalist in the Politics and Current Affairs category of the International Latino Book Awards.
The chronicle gathers testimony from relatives of Hurricane Maria victims who died as a result of the longest blackout in the history of Puerto Rico and the United States.
“Any recognition belongs to the people who shared their stories with me after losing their loved ones following Hurricane Maria,” Martínez Mercado said after learning of his nomination.
The awards ceremony will be held Oct. 3, 2026, at California State University San Marcos.
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