MANILA, Philippines — ASEAN PR Network successfully supported Public Relations (PR) practitioners, along with private stakeholders in the country, by holding the 2-day conference “2022 National PR Congress” in Manila on September 1 and 2.
During the 2022 National PR Congress, keynote speakers from the PR industry, academia and the private sector discussed the importance of truth-telling, and how it can propel the country forward.
“Today and together, we are at a tipping point of redefining and reshaping our collective futures from the lens of responsible public relations practitioners. We are here to propagate the truth, innovate and progress at a time of significant change as we work with our new government and the private sector to steer our economy to a higher growth path against the backdrop of rising food and commodity prices”, Cathy Yang, chairperson of the 29th National PR Congress, said in her welcome remarks.
On Day 2 of the congress, which was the first-ever hybrid version online and offline, Yang sat with special guest Manuel Pangilinan, chairman and president of Metro Pacific Investments Corp. (MPIC), in a fireside chat.
There, Pangilinan acknowledged the challenges the country and the economy are facing today. Amid these times of inflation and pandemic, he reminded PR practitioners to disclose the truth as much as they can to Filipinos.
“Probably the main message this afternoon to PR practitioners is that especially in moments of crises—even in moments of non-crises—it is best to disclose more than what you are prone to disclose”, he shared, adding that Filipinos will always appreciate the truth.
Truthful communication is also the practice of other business groups in the country, including Alliance Global Group Inc., the parent company of Megaworld, Emperador, McDonalds Philippines and more.
The President of ASEAN PR Network, Dr. (H.C.) Prita Kemal Gani, MBA, MCIPR, APR, shared Effective ASEAN Communication for Better Business Results. Dr. Prita said “By maximizing the presence of ASEAN, we become a community that supports each other in various fields, one of which is business. Effective communication is a major factor in supporting ASEAN for better business results. Public Relations has become a part of reinforcing effective communication in business between ASEAN countries”. Dr. Prita also stated that communication with the people of ASEAN has changed, so challenges and opportunities are changing as well.
The two-day 29th National PR Congress was held jointly with the 28th Student PR Congress at The Peninsula Manila in Makati City. Both congresses are the biggest gathering of PR practitioners and students in the country, and organized yearly by the Public Relations Society of the Philippines.
