Panglinan, Tan join public relations congress

MANUEL V. PANGILINAN and Kevin L. Tan will headline the list of business icons who will share their thoughts on the role of communications in shaping the country into the “next normal” during the National Public Relations Congress in September.

The event, hosted by the Public Relations Society of the Philippines (PRSP), is scheduled on Sept. 1 and 2 at The Peninsula Manila in Makati City.

“We are very excited to present a roster of speakers and panelists, not just from the communications industry but also from the business community, who believe that the public relations profession is integral to their organizations’ growth and success,” said Harold C. Geronimo, PRSP president.

Mr. Pangilinan is the chairman of the MVP group of companies, and Mr. Tan is the chief executive officer of Alliance Global Group, Inc.

The other business leaders who will join the high-level discussions are Bernie Liu, founder and chief executive officer of the Penshoppe group; June Cheryl A. Cabal-Revilla, chief financial officer and chief sustainability officer of Metro Pacific Investments Corp.; and Christian R. Gonzalez, executive vice-president and chief risk officer of International Container Terminal Services, Inc.

Flying in from overseas are Prita Kamal Gani, president of the ASEAN Public Relations Network; Jaffri Amin Osman, executive member of the Global Alliance for Public Relations and Communication Management; Fiona Cassidy, president of the PR Institute of New Zealand; and Boy Kelana Soebroto, general chair of PERHUMAS.

Cathy Yang, chairperson of the National PR Congress, said this year’s event “aims to inspire through thought leadership from those who thrived throughout the pandemic and served others through effective and empathic communications during the most challenging two years globally.”

She added that the first-ever joint congress “aims to propagate truth, innovation, and progress as key anchors for communicators. Through this convergence, we hope to continue responsibly and sustainably help rebuild and reopen our economy.”

This year is a milestone for PRSP as it will be the first time that it will hold the congress as a joint hybrid event for the 29^th National PR Congress and the 28^th Student PR Congress.

Franz dela Fuente, PRSP treasurer, said the 28th Students’ PR Congress, which he chairs, “aims to offer a fresh and clear perspective for tomorrow’s communicators. To effectively communicate under a better normal, we need to equip our young communicators with a refreshed mindset, engage them through thought-provoking discourse, and empower them to make the right decisions to help build a better nation.”

Organized by PRSP, the PR Congress is the largest congregation of public relations practitioners across industries in the public sector, civil society and students in the Philippines.