The Board of Trustees of the Public Relations Society of the Philippines (PRSP) took their oath of office on March 26, led by Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero.
In a simple ceremony held at the Office of the Senate President, Senator Escudero enjoined the PRSP officers and trustees to never lose sight of the good that public relations (PR) practitioners can do for the country and its people.
“You are storytellers. You have the skills and the power to shape public perception and influence people’s behavior. May you never lose sight of the important role that you play in society. Use your knowledge and skills to tell the world about the good that the Philippines and Filipinos have to offer,” he said.
In response, PRSP President Ma. Luisa Sebastian, APR assured the Senate President that the organization remained committed to its purpose of using PR for good and in using PR to build a more inclusive society.
“The PRSP is here to advance the practice of PR in the Philippines. We are aware of the weight of our responsibility to society, and we commit to using our platforms and our voices for good. Through our programs, we aim to not only build the capabilities of our peers, but also ensure that they stay the course as ethical practitioners of our craft,” she said.
As PRSP president, Sebastian committed to prioritize engagement with the organization’s various stakeholders, to enable greater collaboration across different sectors.
“We will engage members by helping them develop competencies in different fields of PR and communication. We will engage partner organizations, local and international, so the learnings we can impart to our members and the industry are multi-faceted. We will engage students in PR and communication by mentoring them right from the start of their career journey,” she said.
This year’s priority programs include the development of a primer for the Anvil Awards, or the Oscars of PR, to make its guidelines more transparent and more attuned to industry and societal changes; further professionalization of the Accredited in Public Relations (APR) program, to encourage PR practitioners to aspire for the accreditation and help them on their journey; and the relaunch of the Students’ PR Congress, to inspire, motivate, and guide future PR practitioners even before they join the workforce.
Aside from those three items, the organization’s other programs include the National PR Congress, the Professional Development seminar series, outreach activities, and quarterly general membership meetings.
Supporting Sebastian in steering the organization this year are Ana Ruby Pista, APR, Vice President – Internal Affairs; Norman Agatep, APR, Vice President – External Affairs; Abigail Ho-Torres, APR, Treasurer; Franz Jonathan De La Fuente, Corporate Secretary; Paul Michael De Quiros, ARP, Internal Auditor; and trustees Joe Zaldarriaga, Steve Michael Moore, and Deivid Guian Rioferio, APR. Serving as advisers are immediate past president Andy Saracho, APR and Jika Dalupan, APR.
PRSP is the foremost organization of PR practitioners in the Philippines. Its mission is to steer the country toward progress while preserving its precious heritage and culture, serve affiliate organizations to the best of its abilities guided only by the highest ethical standards, and lead the way in the development, refinement, and dissemination of knowledge and skills of the profession in the entire Asia-Pacific region.
