Tag: PRSP

Philippines – The Public Relations Society of the Philippines (PRSP) is condemning the alleged use of fake social media accounts to spread disinformation against the Philippines’ claims in the West Philippine Sea.

The PRSP’s statement follows Senate Majority Leader Francis Tolentino’s revelation of excerpts from a contract between a public relations agency and the Chinese Embassy in the Philippines. The contract was presented during the April 24 hearing of the Senate Special Committee on Philippine maritime and admiralty zones.

The said contract outlined the deployment of “keyboard warriors” to ensure the “overall effectiveness of the issue management project.”

In the statement, PRSP emphasised its advocacy for communication based on honesty and integrity.

“While our role is to uphold and strengthen the reputation of our clients and organisations, this is not to be done at the expense of societal good,” the statement read.

“We believe in the power of words and stories to shape public perception and opinion. As such, we exert utmost care and effort to ensure that we adhere to a set of ethical standards in the practice of our profession.”

The organisation highlighted its code of ethics, which includes using public interest as a primary guide, ensuring accuracy, and upholding the law and order.

“PRSP urges vigilance and calls on the authorities to act swiftly and decisively, ensuring a thorough investigation on cases of misinformation and disinformation that upholds the rule of law and due process,” the statement read.

The long-standing West Philippine Sea dispute involves conflicting territorial claims and maritime rights within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone. The Philippines has been asserting its sovereignty based on international law, including a 2016 ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague.

Manila, Philippines – The Public Relations Society of the Philippines (PRSP), the country’s organisation for public relations professionals, has recently concluded its second leg of 2022’s Students’ PR Con, ‘Grand Prix Hack Sprint Edition’, the first virtual, interactive, and nationwide edition of the organisation’s Students’ PR Congress.

This year’s Grand Prix, which was fully virtual, has encouraged students from all over the country to submit a position paper about ‘The Great Resignation’, a current social issue being tackled across the world, provided by the initiative’s Platinum Sponsor JobStreet. 

Eight universities have successfully advanced as qualifiers for the second phase, the Hack Sprint, where the students were given 24 hours to develop their communications plan. These are De La Salle University – Dasmariñas, Far Eastern University, Holy Angel University in Angeles, Pampanga, Polytechnic University of the Philippines, San Beda University, and Saint Louis University in Baguio, as well as University of the Philippines – Los Baños, and the University of the Philippines – Manila. Out of these schools, five outstanding teams were identified to move forward to the final round – the Pitch Proper, where each team presented their plan to a select jury panel comprised of industry thought leaders and experts.

After a thorough evaluation, the University of the Philippines (UP) Manila emerged as the grand champion, followed by the University of the Philippines Los Baños and De La Salle University – Dasmariñas as first and second runners-up, respectively. San Beda University and Polytechnic University of the Philippines were amongst the top five finalists. 

The champion has received ₱30,000, while the first and second runners-up have received ₱20,000 and ₱10,000. The remaining teams in the top five have also received ₱5,000 for the team. 

Ferdinand Bondoy, the chairman of PRSP Students’ PR Con and Grand Prix, the board trustee of PRSP and Regional Integration, and the chief executive director of COMCO SEA, shared that this work given to him by PRSP is really close to his heart, as he was also a PR academic scholar of the Public Relations Society of the Philippines.

“That’s why we made the 2021 Students’ PR Con and Grand Prix Hack Sprint truly meaningful and special, even if it’s fully digital and virtual. It is with much honour and fulfilment that we’ve ended this event on a high note. Our sacrifices are all worth it,” said Bondoy.

Meanwhile, Norman Agatep, PRSP’s president and Grupp Agatep’s president and managing director, noted that PRSP is honoured to have this year’s Students’ PR Congress as the platform for students from all over the Philippines to learn new insights and perspectives about where their industry is headed. 

“May everyone use their learnings and experiences from both PR Con and Grand Prix as a tool to create and inspire positive change in more people, especially during this crucial period,” said Agatep.

Bondoy closed this year’s Students’ PR Congress with a challenge to the students, he noted, “I’m passing on the torch to you. As soon as you finish school, see you in the real world. And we invite you to join us in doing PR for good and making a difference in society.”

Manila, Philippines – PR and communications veteran Ferdinand Bondoy has been elected to the board of trustees of two communications industry organizations in the Philippines, namely Public Relations Society of the Philippines (PRSP) and the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) Philippines.

Through the esteemed appointments, Bondoy has been tapped by both organizations to spearhead each of their leading programs dedicated to communications students in the country.

He is serving as the co-chair of IABC’s Philippine Student Quill Awards, the prestigious awards program in the field of business communication. Meanwhile, PRSP has named Bondoy as chair of the Students’ PR Congress, which has been rebranded to Students’ PR Con, its annual event for students’ learning; and Grand Prix, PRSP’s first hack sprint edition. Under his term at PRSP, Bondoy will be introducing and leading the first virtual edition of the said student activities.

Bondoy is currently the regional integration and chief executive director of integrated communications agency, COMCO Southeast Asia, which he co-founded in 2016. He also serves as the board director of the newly launched Middle East & Africa branch of COMCO.

Bondoy said that he sees the positions as an opportunity to give back to the industry by preparing the next generation of communications and public relations professionals and leaders, just like how he was honed in the field. 

“It has come full circle and I think this is the reason why I was given this position, to complete the narrative that the seed sowed yesterday are the fruits harvested today,” commented Bondoy.

As Bondoy leads the student-focused initiatives, his stellar scholastic record comes to light having been an academic scholar and graduating with Latin Honors back as a mass communication major. Jumping to become a young professional, Bondoy had been assimilated to IABC Philippines as he led projects for the digital communications committee of the Philippine Quill and Student Quill Awards and eventually served as an evaluator of the award-giving body.

Bondoy’s membership to IABC’s Board of Trustees will be until 2023, where he was named as corporate secretary and chair of the digital communications and public relations committee. Meanwhile, Bondoy’s election to PRSP’s board had been initiated in early 2021.

Philippines – The Public Relations Society of the Philippines (PRSP) has announced the first-ever virtual, interactive, and nationwide edition of the Students’ PR Congress, its annual event for students to learn more about the public relations industry from leading practitioners in the field.

PRSP is the country’s organization for communication and PR professionals. With the inaugural virtual edition of the said congress, it will be launching the theme ‘Decoding Content: The Journey to PR for Good’. This year’s theme aims to help participants navigate the new media landscape and tackle the different stages of the content journey.

The event aims to address today’s issues of information overload and misinformation as the pandemic pushes for everyone’s stronger reliance on communications and digital platforms. The Students’ PR Congress aims to help look at media and communication in a more hopeful and progressive light. The event will be a full-day event and will be held this 20 November 2021.

Ferdinand Bondoy, chairman of PRSP Students’ PR Con, commented that digital and new media are not the future anymore, but are the present, and the organization wants to invite students to explore these new frontiers along with the challenges and opportunities they bring.

“We are excited to bring the PR Con to students of public relations, communications, marketing, advertising, and related disciplines in the Philippines. Despite the pandemic, digital platforms have given us the opportunity to bring people from all over the country together to learn and engage in an interactive way,” said Bondoy.

Meanwhile, Norman Agatep, president of PRSP and also the president and managing director of PR firm Grupo Agatep, said, “Students of Communication have always been a significant sector that the PRSP has been reaching out to over the years. As such, we have designed pillar programs that aim to supplement their classroom learning, fuel their interest in public relations, and ignite their desire to pursue careers in our industry. This year’s PR Con will give all participants an exclusive glimpse of what their lives as PR professionals could be like.”

Interested participants can learn more about the PRSP Students’ PR Con 2021 through its official Facebook and LinkedIn pages.