ImPResyon ng PRopesyon: Deal or No Deal?!

A few weeks back, a PR seminar was conducted at school - the ImPResyon ng PRopesyon: Deal or No Deal?!. And as expected, our professor on PR required us to attend the seminar and make a reaction paper for it. The reaction was passed a few days later after the seminar was held. I wasn't expecting anything about my work, I wasn't confident enough of what I've constructed because I still don't know the standards of my professor when it comes to things like that. So I passed my work without any inhibitions.

Exactly a week after (which was earlier, July 22 '06), our papers were returned by our PR professor. One by one, our professor called the names of my classmates who have their checked papers on his hand. Mr. blah, blah was called, Ms. blah, blah was next, then Ms. blah, blah followed, and so on. The papers emptied the hands of my professor - shockingly, my name wasn't called! I felt my stomach turned upside-down, cold sweat started to fill my forehead, and my heart was pounding as fast as a cheetah's do when it hunts for food! Damn! Where is that damn paper?!

Actually, there were 5 of us who fortunately weren't called. So we told our professor our biggest concern that time - we did pass our papers! Then, Mr. Roel Ramirez, APR said, "...baka hindi kayo nagpasa ng paper...", and that made me panic to the highest degree! But then again he said, "...and these are the 5 people who got the perfect score..." - BINGO! And there I was, sitting on my beloved chair, with a smirk on the face, looking at my paper work with the grade of 7 (1 is the lowest, 7 is the highest), and thinking "...I'm not expecting this..."

Want a glimpse of my masterpiece? Here it is:

Worth It?!

On the night before this seminar, I was thinking “… would this be worth my effort?... is it a deal or no deal?”. I was having second thoughts whether I would go to this seminar, because it’s too early since our class for that day would be 2:00 PM, and the seminar’s time assembly would be 9:00 AM, plus the presence of an unfriendly weather. However, I did attend. And it wasn’t worth it – it’s more than worth it!

Along with the chills of the Bulwagang Manileño’s air conditioner, and with bit drowsiness, I sat in awe as the seminar was being conducted.

Headed by two renowned PR practitioners in the country – both colleagues by our dear professor Roel Ramirez, APR - Ma. Amylyn Sison de Quiros and Butch Raquel, the colloquium was successfully achieved.

Ms. De Quiros is the current president of the Public Relations Society of the Philippines (PRSP), and she’s not just an ordinary president of a so-called society, she is an APR. She arrived earlier than Mr. Raquel (but the wait was worth it…), so the seminar started with her presence. Ms. De Quiros renders a strong personality that is not intimidating. She is the epitome of the saying “woman of essence”, as she graces us – the students – with information which is necessary for our PR classes. According to her, PR is not just building-up an image, but also admitting faults that result to honesty, because it is better to turn out like that than the faults would be discovered – because that is not showing honesty. She taught us the value of truth, on our day-to-day lives.

I was really impressed on the way she talks, especially when she bravely answered the questions on the open forum part of the program. Ms. De Quiros is truly one influential woman.

Mr. Butch Raquel is GMA7’s OIC for Corporate Communications, and he is one of the people behind the Kapuso Network’s achievement of being the No. 1 TV Station today in the Philippines. As I’ve stated earlier, he was a bit late for the call time, but really, the wait for me was very worth it! If Ms. De Quiros was an epitome, he is as well! As for the Filipino saying goes, “huwag pumunta ng giyera ng walang dalang bala”, he was in fact armed with materials that made the program more exciting. While he was talking in front, his assistants provided us pins which read GMA bearing the Kapuso sign – the rainbow-colored heart. Of course, being a certified and proud Kapuso, I was delighted to have one! Not only that, he showed us AVPs which really took my interest and attention to watch it. It was a Corporate AVP for the GMA7 Kapuso Network, and I was thunderstruck between the four legs of my chair! He even told us that he is once a Kapamilya, and by that time that he was still in ABS-CBN, the said station was on no. 1 – and of course, he’s one of the brilliant minds behind it. But above all, his lectures were concerned more on the PR as a profession. But it didn’t bore me at all. In fact, he made us realize that practicing PR – whole-heartedly – is an amazing profession, for you get to help and inspire a large network of people. And he even provided us tips about PR which would help us on thorough discussions in our PR class.

He is the living proof of a successful man behind a successful business firm. And that he taught us to be effective as well, whether here or there, a PR practitioner should always do his job with utmost dedication.

The whole seminar was fun, action-packed, and informative. We had fun while learning, we experienced the fun of learning, and we learned rich information about PR.

The program lasted till 3:00 in the afternoon, where we had mini-team building games. It was really a lot of fun being a part of the PRSSP – PLM Chapter, because you do not only learn, you also get to experience the learning. And yes, my effort of attending ImPResyon ng PRopesyon: Deal or No Deal? was more than worth it – it’s definitely a deal!