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.”
