SUBIC BAY FREEPORT—Organizers of the 21st Philippine Advertising Congress (PAC) said the storms that battered the country this year have galvanized the advertising industry and rallied its members to turn the calamity into an opportunity to do good.

“The major change that we had to deal with was the relocation of the [ad congress] from Baguio to Subic. But that has turned out for the better because both are together in this celebration. As Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority Administrator Armand Arreza has said, Subic is only co-hosting the [PAC] with Baguio, while Mayor Reinaldo Bautista said it was like his city just went to Subic,” said Margot Torres, 21st PAC chair.

Baguio, which is celebrating its centennial this year, lost the hosting chores of the 21st PAC. Heavy rains dumped by strong typhoons in October triggered landslides and floods damaging roads leading to the summer capital.

Organizers said they would donate a large portion of the revenue from the 21st PAC to storm and flood victims.

Torres said the money would “enable houses to be built, aid to be given, and a new direction to be pursued by the industry in helping out Filipinos.”

She said more projects that would help in the recovery and rehabilitation of communities hit by calamities would be lined up by the advertising industry.

“The ad congress was instrumental in making this happen because all of the major players in the industry only come together rarely. I am personally proud of what we were able to do as an industry,” Torres said.

For typhoon victims

Charmaine Canillas, chair of the Advertising Board of the Philippines, said Project Ahon (literally, get out of the water; also means lifting oneself)—one of the initiatives under the Brand-Aid campaign—was designed to “relieve the suffering of our countrymen who were hit most by the storms.”

She said sponsors and media companies supporting the 21st PAC would donate ad space earnings to the Philippine National Red Cross (PNRC) to fund the construction of houses for typhoon victims.

Canillas, however, said proceeds for last night’s Araw Awards, highlight of the PAC where the best ad campaigns were cited, would go to the PNRC Baguio chapter.

Torres said about P1.2 million generated from ticket sales from the awards night would go to projects benefiting typhoon victims.

“But it will also go to the education of the public about taking care of the environment and training members of the industry to make a difference through their work. The expertise of our industry is communications—and we will put that into good use,” she added.

Brand-Aid

She said organizers took advantage of the PAC, which is held every two years, to launch Brand-Aid because “this kind of gathering is rare.”

“But when it happens, it can be productive. And that’s what we were able to do,” she said.

Over 3,000 delegates were treated to a variety of topics ranging from strategy, media, entertainment, creativity and the rise of digital channels by a roster of international experts.

The experts gave talks on the growing role of social media and the effects of the “digital explosion” or the surge in the number of digital platforms people use to connect to each other.

Torres said organizers took advantage of this phenomenon by setting up a website, as well as Facebook and Twitter accounts to update people about PAC events.

Donations for Baguio

“What’s great is while the speakers were onstage, we would get immediate reactions from the audience in the form of tweets. So we knew how they felt about each speaker. We were also able to tweet them back our appreciation. The reactions were mostly positive,” she said.

Arreza said the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) would donate the income from the rental of the Subic Bay Exhibition and Convention Center (SBECC), the congress venue, to typhoon victims.

“The SBMA and the entire community of Olongapo City join the advertising industry in helping Baguio City and other affected areas in Northern Luzon in the process of rebuilding and recovery,” he said in a statement.

Arreza said the donations would be used to buy an ambulance for Baguio City, where communities were hit by landslides and floods.