The History of Philippine PR

Many Philippine PR practitioners trace their roots back to the 1880s, when the
Philippines was seeking colonial reforms from Spain. (Spain colonized the Philippines
from 1565-1898.) The writers and activists at the time, including Jose Rizal, who is now
considered our foremost national hero, wrote influential works that triggered
the Philippine Revolution. According to Culbertson and Chen, this Revolution is widely
known as the first successful challenge by an Asian people against their Western
colonial masters.

But the PR industry didn’t blossom in the Philippine archipelago until after Manila (the
capital) was liberated from Japanese occupation in 1945. With the return of the
Philippine press, and the sudden success of business pages and business sections,
several firms were prompted to assign people to handle press relations, and, later, full-
fledged PR.

It was a man named Jose A. Carpio who really developed the theory of PR in the
Philippines. Carpio, now known as the Father of Philippine PR, saw PR as far more
than publicity. He saw it as a planned program of policies and behavior designed to
build public confidence in and understanding of an individual or an organization. In
1957, Carpio founded the Public Relations Society of the Philippines. The PRSP would
soon singlehandedly spur the growth of Philippine PR through seminars, training
programs, workshops, awards, contacts, publications and networking. The organization
also introduced a four-year PR curriculum, which was approved by the Ministry of
Education and Culture, to several Philippine universities.

PR in Philippine Government
PR has become a very important part of Philippine government. Filipino PR practitioners
understand that strategic government PR creates awareness and generates acceptance
of public policies and programs. It also projects an image of good, legitimate
governance.

But PR has never been more prominent in Philippine history than during the Marcos
years (1965-1986). From the time martial law was declared in 1972 until Marcos’s
presidency was forcibly ended in 1986, the government put on a massive and sustained
propaganda campaign, locally and worldwide. The emphasis was on ensuring sustained
U.S. government and military support.
The success of this campaign was due to Marcos’s well-funded nationwide media
structure. The two succeeding governments of Presidents
Aquino and Ramos maintained the “monolithic government media and information
system” (Culbertson and Chen, 1996). Today, three broadcast networks and a
newspaper chain still remain under government control.
The Philippine Anvil Awards
Like the Public Relations Society of America, the PRSP hosts annual Anvil Awards, an
awards ceremony that recognizes outstanding programs, projects and PR techniques.
The ceremony, according to Culbertson and Chen, is known as the “Oscars of Public
Relations.” A campaign to save the Philippine eagle won the coveted Grand Award in
1993.

Culbertson and Chen’s Summary of Philippine PR

According to Culbertson and Chen, PR is a concept from the West that has been
transplanted to Asia. But Philippine PR has drawn its sustenance from its own soil.
Philippine PR practitioners have been faithful to their culture, making PR in the
Philippines relevant to Filipinos — especially when the government is involved.
Culbertson and Chen say that Philippine PR is self-propelled, dynamic and professional.

Doesn't this make you want to practice PR in the Philippines?

My Thoughts on Philippine PR
The Philippines is a developing country. Developing countries need hope. As a
profession, PR can popularize and crystallize ideologies so that people in developing
countries can unite and share common values — and work towards progress and
development. The mass media in a developing country like the Philippines, then, need
PR practitioners to produce messages and images that inspire, energize and mobilize
people toward development. So far, the Philippines has demonstrated that its PR
industry is strong and dynamic. Nevertheless, there’s still room for improvement in
Philippine PR if the country wants to join the ranks of developed nations. With PR
growing as an industry, both in the Philippines and worldwide, I have high hopes for the
Philippines. And who knows…maybe one day I’ll have the opportunity to go back home
and take part in the Philippines’ successful PR industry.

1880sPR roots, when Philippines was seeking colonial reforms from Spain - PR has
been practiced in the Philippines for more than half a century

- Philippines is considered as Pacific birthplace of public relations

- Introduced by the Americans in the mid-1940s the field started with the public
information officers of the U.S. Army regularly issuing news releases to members of the
Philippine media

- 1947, Business Writers Association of the Philippineswas organized to promote the

idea of corporate social responsibility and to underscore the growth in the Philippine
economy.

- Pete Teodoro and Jose Carpio - Father of PR in the Philippines

- Teodoro, then PR of Elizalde & Company,a paint manufacturer, took the first organized

PR campaign competing directly with a large American corporation his program was
geared towards winning the goodwill and patronage of local architects and contractors

- Carpio,on the other hand, managed the first major association campaign. As the
Manila-based manager of the Philippine Association, a business and civic organization
formed in 1949.- 1954, the Office of the Press Secretary was elevated to cabinet

- 1957, Carpio founded Public Relations Society of the Philippines

- 1966,San Miguel Corporation, established the first PR department

- Baldomero Olivera- PLDT - first to be retained by a large corporation

- Martial Law 1971 "New Society"

- 1977 National Quiz Bee - Herdid Group of Companies

- Batarisan - Delta Motor Corporation

- 1977 Public Relations Institute of the Philippineswas formed to serve as a liaison

between education and industry practitioners, special subgroup of the Public Relations
Society of the Philippines

- Early 1970s first PR handbook was published written by Ricardo R. de la Cruz

- 1986New Era of Philippine PR started

- Two important information agencies:

Office of the Press Secretary Philippine Information Agency

- Three common disciplines emerged from PR:

Journalism and the mass media Business government

- Public Relations Society of the Philippines 1957 (PRSP) - professional organizations

of PR practitioners in the private sector.

- Public Relations Organization of the Philippines (PROP) -government officials and

employees performing PR and information work. Founded 1972 and eventually
incorporated in 1976.PROP was organized in response to the need for improving
coordination among government information officers and providing direction to the
government's development-oriented information programs.