[UPDATE: The UST team used the character “Lolo Phil” along their winning tagline, not “Lola Phil.”]

     UNIVERSITY of Santo Tomas (UST), with an average score of 91.43 percent, grabbed second place in the Grand Prix Competition on November 18, 2012 as part of a 2-day public relations students’ congress, organized by the Public Relations Society of the Philippines (PRSP). 

     The UST team, composed of 10 Communication Arts seniors from the Faculty of Arts and Letters, used the tagline “Sa PhilHealth ang puhunan sa kalusugan, simple lang!” and the character “Lola Phil.” A total amount of 20,000 pesos was awarded to them plus the recognition of their study by Philhealth.

     Furthermore, they said that PhilHealth would update them regarding the implementation and budget of their case study. They prepared for about two to three weeks alongside their academic studies. The said group was the first UST finalist to win and the second to enter the Grand Prix Competition.

     This year’s theme was “Youth on Social Media: Creating a New Generation of Game Changers.” It was held at the Albertus Magnus Building last November 17 to 18. The competition was a six-month publicity campaign of a case study promoting the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) through social media.

     Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU) was proclaimed as champion. Their campaign “PhilHealth ang Resbak ng Buhay Mo” garnered the score of 94 percent and was awarded a total cash prize of 27,000 pesos.

     “Kinakabahan lang kasi sobrang close ng laban eh,” a member of the ADMU group said. Their group was composed of six members and admitted that this was also their first win as a group.

     University of the Philippines-Manila placed third with the tagline “Youth-nited for Juan Healthy Nation.” The group was given 15,000 pesos.

     The competition was composed of seven finalists who were chosen amongst 26 collegiate teams. Other participants were Southville International School and Colleges, Adamson University, Colegio de San Juan de Letran, and De La Salle University-Dasmariñas.

     “Bawat miyembro protektado, kalusugan sigurado,” Dr. Eduardo Banzon, president and CEO of PhilHealth assured the audience.

     Claire de Leon Papa, the chairman of the PRSP’s event reminded the people that it was all about “caring and taking a stand.” “Kahit nasa university pa lang kayo, meron na kayong magagawa,” she said.

     Dr. John Michael Flores Dellariarte, the advocate of “I CAN make a difference” in social networking site Facebook, lectured the students. He narrated how social media—to him the most powerful tool—became a huge and fast help to his campaign.

     “I’d like everyone, especially the youth, to look at their Twitter and Facebook accounts in a different way… Use social media for nation building and social advocacy,” Dr. Dellariate said. “We can be heroes.”

Whole-day seminar held
     On the first day of the student congress, prominent speakers tackled the potential of social networking as a medium for public relations.

     Students, teachers, and guests were eagerly present on the initial day of the congress. PRSP president John Rojo inducted the event and cited, “At the end of the day, our goal is to deliver social good.”

     Director of the UST Office of Public Affairs, Assoc. Prof. Giovanna Fontanilla, welcomed the guests and organizers of the event, as the University is the host of the PRSP students’ congress for the third time.

     The keynote speaker was none other than the secretary of the Department of Education, Bro. Armin Luistro, ASC. He said that “the age of today has moved beyond e-mail.” And with the Philippines renowned as the “Social Networking Capital of the World,” the power to change the world now lies in the hands of the youth, the present generation who are incredibly familiar with the culture of social media.

     Mr. Arnold Clavio of GMA Network and Mr. Lourd de Veyra of TV5 discussed and responded to the audiences’ questions regarding social media and its implications on news and information. They discussed social media as a tremendous help in spreading news and improving communication between. Also, use of social media comes with the responsibility of propagating accurate information.

     “Lahat tayo tsismoso at tsismosa. Binigyan lang kami ng lisensya,” Clavio told everyone. “The center of the news [nowadays] is everywhere and nowhere at the same time,” said de Veyra on news circulating in social media. He also commented, “Kung gaano siya kabilis, ganoon rin siya ka-unreliable.”

     Other speakers included Mr. Dong Ronquillo of Globe Telecom who talked about the generation that came about from greed in the society, but then turned out to be a generation filled with generosity: Generation G. He shared how Generation G had become the game changer of today’s society and how people can make better use of social media.

     Mr. Ronquillo’s discussion was followed by Ms. Janette Toral of Digital Filipino. Toral shared the value of social media, how advocacies tend to influence people more and whether one must be influenced or be the influencer.

     Then the participation of the audience was posed as Mr. Dave Drilon, Chief Executive Officer of K-2 Interactive (Asia), joined Toral on stage as they opened the floor to questions from the students. The speakers clearly stated that it wasn’t only the number of likes a topic or page gains that mattered but the number of people engaged in it.

     Making campaigns viral was the topic of Mr. Steve Romasanta of Pepsi Co. Philippines. He pointed out the two simple objectives of campaigns—to stand out and engage audience. Also presented were back stories of their company’s different advertisements. Romasanta also said that it is important to be timely rather than being timeless, making sure that a campaign is relevant to current situations.

     Ms. Jo-Imeelyn Kapunan of The Body Shop highlighted values-based PR as she delivered a talk on marketing advocacies in social media. She advised that practitioners make advocacies values campaigns, while ensuring audience involvement. It is also important that companies do not separate values from their business, otherwise it will only be a mere advertisement.

     Last speaker was Mr. Jeffrey Pundanera of Manila Water. He told the soon-to-be PR practitioners present to tell what is good. Personal approach to the costumers was also given importance. After discussing the future plans of their company and sharing helpful tips to the audience, Pundanera and Kapunan answered questions from the audience.
 
     A panel discussion with Ms. Linda Bolido of the Philippine Daily Inquirer, Ms. Lourdes Fernandez of TV5 Online, and Ms. Liza Reyes of ANC News was done after the series of talks. Here, they gave tips on effective writing and differentiated press release from news articles.

     The almost 300 participants during the first day came from San Beda Mendiola and Alabang, Southville International School and Colleges, New Era University, De La Salle University Dasmariñas, Holy Angel University, St. Paul University, Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila, Adamson University, University of the Philippines-Manila, Rizal High School, and the University of Santo Tomas.

By Marleen Y. Peroz and Mia Rosienna P. Mallari
Photo taken by Justine Fay Refuerzo