There is perhaps no other term in the English language that is as greatly used or abused as the term public relations (PR). Former PR girl Bettina Rodriguez Olmeda writes that “an analysis of statements made regarding the term reveals that people see PR in different contexts and with different connotations – a lot of them unsavory. People seem to associate PR with a lot of things – publicity, visibility, patronage, bribery, influence peddling, people skills, image-building, spin, buzz, hype, quid pro quo, wheeling and dealing, et cetera.”
Here are examples:
Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago once referred to PRs as “cockroaches” and “assholes.”
“Palagay ko, sirang-sira na iyang si Bong Revilla. Pagkatapos ng pagsangkot sa kanya ni Benhur Luy sa pork barrel scam, hindi na iyan madadaan sa pa-PR-PR lang.”
“Ang astig siguro ng PR machine ni Kris Aquino. Kahit anong gawin niya, pinag-uusapan ng buong bayan.”
“Idaan mo na lang sa PR si Mayor. Bigyan mo na lang ng kickback para ma-expedite na iyang ina-applyan ninyong business permit.”
“It is ironic that a profession that claims to be in the field of communication still faces the problem of defining itself and explaining its function to the public,” writes Bettina in her book, “Adventures of a PR Girl,” which will be launched on tomorrow, Sept. 26, at PowerBooks, Makati.
At a meeting of the Public Relations Society of the Philippines (PRSP), of which Bettina is a member, PR was defined as “Doing good and telling the world about it.”
“Doing good” means a company follows the strictest standards of product quality control, keeps its employees happy, pays taxes, etc. while “telling” is the communications plan that the company executes to inform the public about an organization’s or an individual’s vision-mission.
Bettina talks about public relations and advertising (two related worlds) based on her personal experiences. Starting out as a copy writer for an ad agency, she rose up to head her department. She learned the tricks of writing slogans that click: “Love ko ‘to,” for McDonald’s; “No more tiis ganda, for Palmolive Naturals shampoo; “Her kind of man,” a Lord and Lady ad.
That Bettina would have a knack for catchy slogans she learned on the job. She was quick to learn and enjoy what she was doing. To begin with, she had obtained two degrees, AB and BSE, both with a summa cum laude, at St. Theresa’s College Manila. She conceptualized and executed the communication plan of some of the country’s most successful PR projects, the Miss Caltex Contest and the Dialogue-Forum series with the “Presidentiables” in 1952 and 1998.
Pundits, she writes, have called PR “a form of societal engineering. This is effected by the advocacy campaigns of PR professionals.” Some use the word “lobby,” but to Belinda’s mind, “advocacy is the more apt and respectable term. Through advocacy, PR professionals draw up strategies to network with congressmen and senators so certain legislation for genuine reforms in our society could be enacted.”
Herself a looker, Bettina was able to meet, and hobnob, with company executives, with the high and mighty, with the crème de la crème of Manila society. She describes meetings and parties she conceptualized and executed that impressed her bosses.
But there were low moments too. She had moved to a hotel as head of its PR department when the labor union staged a strike. She was asked by the general manager to do something about the adverse publicity on the hotel. The implication was that she should tryu to “kill” all the stories that were coming out. “I could not do this in good coscience because the papers were telling the truth. In accorance with my convictions, I told our GM that damage controll in this crisis could not be doneby resorting to a news blackout. The only honorable way to get out of the debacle was give in to the demands of the workers.” Bettina was subjected to a lot of pressure day in and day out during the protracated strike. One day, the GM said management was not pleased with her performance, and he asked me to resign. “In other words, I was fired.”
But the “upheaval” occurring in the 18th year of her career turned out to be a blessing. She got into an entirely new job “where my life would come around full circle.” She joined the Fund for Assistance Educational Education as a PR specialist, a job that “represented the convergence of my two career paths: education and communication.
The book will be a good guide for communication students who want to go into PR and advertising careers.
* * *
Regina Margarita “Ina” Jardiolin is a young artist, a different painter, to watch. Her paintings will be on exhibit Oct. 5 to 20 at the Kaida Contemporary Gallery on 36 Sct. Santiago, cor. Sct. De Gua Streets, Quezon City.
In “Stripped: A Solon Exhibit,” Ina explores “the landscape of the human body.” Each of her 13 pieces combine the mundane and ethereal. They are portraits of semi-nude figures who are either men or women, or both.
For example, the painting entitled “Stripped Collection 1” shows a naked man/woman standing, her eyes downcast. In the backdrop is a row of snake plants with flowers; she chose the snake as it can change its sex when necessary. In the canvas is a blanket of starry skies.
In “Stripped Collection 2” two human figures, drawn in a bold color palette, seem to be staring right at the viewer, while at the back, just beneath a stream of blue space, three butterflies are gloriously spread out. Ina, 25 and exotic looking, says the butterflies are gynandromorphs, or organisms literally both half-male and female. A critic writes that this painting represents the fluid nature and duality of gender and sexuality.
Ina’s figures are angular, sharp and dramatic, you think one is a male, but Ina says it’s a female, and vice-versa. Ina says her figures are androgynous – “a balance of both sexes.” Thus, ‘where there is long hair, there will be a very angular face; where there is hint of smooth curves, there will be a very muscular torso. “
Turning philosophical, Ina defines her philosophy of artistry thus: “The roles we play are defined by what is born between our legs: the Feminine and Masculine. To be successful at the feminine we must act maternal, reserved, quiet and soft. To be successful at he Masculine one must be strong, bold and adventurous, unafraid at pain. But who decided that one’s genitals defined one’s role in life? Why does it define our personality?”
Aside from the framed paintings, Ina presents paintings rendered on old, now rare, wooden shoe lasts. This is seen to be a homage to her origins, as she is part of the Jardiolin family that has spent 30 years in the shoe industry with such shoe brands as Confetti, Marikina shoe Exchange, and Natasha. The matriarch in this shoe business is Ina’s grandmother, the brilliant economics professor and friend Vicky Jardiolin.
Ina finished high school at Reedley International School, and the Fine Arts course at the University of the Philippines, Diliman. She has joined several painting exhibits, thanks to the supportive program of the UP school of fine arts. The Oct. 5-20 show will be her second solo exhibit, at the first one, all her pieces were sold out. In school she was the manager of the UP women’s varsity football team; she teaches art at workshops.
* * *
My email:dominitorrevillas@gmail.com