The other meaning of PPR

 Personalized Public Relations (PPR) which I talked about months ago is now becoming an inspiration by a number of people in the local entertainment circuit, corporate circle and even in the academe. In fact, I’m set to deliver a speech before graduate school students majoring in Communication at Cebu Normal University about “Personalized Public Relations in Media” soon. Along the way, I have coined another meaning of PPR: Promise, Promise Ra.

Cliché as it may, this is another way of saying, “promises are made to be broken.” Meaning, you are promised something but nothing happens and it remains just the same, a promise. It amplifies your disappointment because you are pushed to create false hopes, only to be disappointed in the end. You are disappointed because such act reminds you again and again that seldom you can find people nowadays who can be trusted to deliver what is expected of them.

I’m talking about ABS-CBN Corporate Communications, again. More than two months go, Mr. Bong Osorio promised to get back to us (E-Group) after talking with his people regarding the issues we raised through a letter we sent him. But nothing has changed. Worse, no Osorio came back to make true his promise. I received his reply last July 17, and an excerpt of that was this: “Please rest assured that there is no deliberate move from our end ‘to make the Cebu entertainment press feel unimportant and irrelevant.’ There is no reason for us to do that. In fact, our utmost intention is to make your group our solid friend and partner in bringing our news to the attention of your readers. I will write to you again soon to share with your group specific details on how things can be improved.”

Is the lack of response from Osorio the showbiz version of “Justice Delayed is Justice Denied’? What did he mean when he said “I will write to you again soon”? Does his ‘soon’ mean 48 years in gay lingo?

Meanwhile, I was surprised as I edited the column of manay Kris Relatado for Hugyaw, the entertainment section of our sister tabloid Banat News last Monday afternoon. He ranted about how he was insulted by the constant reminder of the handler of John Lloyd Cruz during a recent presscon in Cebu for the movie The Mistress, not to ask questions not related to the movie.

He was barred twice, so in his dismay, he banged the microphone down. If it happened to me, I would have slapped the handler with the microphone, because preventing reporters or telling them what should and should not be asked is a form of insult. Reporters and writers are thinkers. We are not stupid nor are we robots. We ask questions because that is our job. Good article is a product of a good question.

One can argue that it was a presscon to publicize the movie. True. But again we are not stupid people that will throw questions for answers we already know. Manay Kris had a good point. Why would he ask a question related to the movie when everything you needed to know about it is already in the press releases they bombard you with through the daily blastings they send you without salutation a month before the scheduled showing? Aside from that, a grand presscon is always held in Manila first before they come to Cebu and other regions, so, because of that, you know so much about the movie already. Details about the movie are everywhere - in national broadsheets, online and in social media. Now tell me, will there be a thinking reporter that will ask questions which have been answered 48 years ago? We are not geniuses but we are not stupid either.

This is one of the many reasons why I seldom attend presscons for Manila stars organized by ABS-CBN in Cebu.

You want more? I’ll give you more. I don’t remember Kapamilya stars coming to their presscons on time. They are always late. And I know it is intentional so that when the stars finally arrive, reporters will then be told to limit their questions—one question and one follow-up—because the stars have other appointments to catch. When the presscon is finally over, the stars have to go away instantly because they have to attend the next appointment in the itinerary. So the reporter who was planning to ask a question not related to what is being promoted after the presscon gets disappointed. Sometimes the reporter can manage to ambush interview the stars on their way out, but that is a no-win situation, because most of the time handlers are very quick to interfere by telling you the presscon is over so no more asking.

I said I was surprised because six years ago when we started Hugyaw together I asked Manay Kris to come up with feisty and straightforward columns but he refused because he said times have changed. According to him, he is not getting any younger; he does not want any trouble or controversy. For him to rant that way in his column last Tuesday, six years after he refused to be so, meant he was really pissed off and he should be.

If you don’t want our questions do not invite us, because honestly we really do not care, whether we are invited or not. But if you insist on having us, brief your controversial stars how to tackle questions that stemmed from the controversy or an issue that involve them. Give us a chance to engage your stars in an intimate interview—closer and no microphones. And yes, I want to know which type of PPR you want us to believe: Personalized Public Relations or Promise Promise Ra?

These so called Kapamilya always discriminate us. That’s arrogance right in our own backyard. Hello, this is Cebu! Why don’t you act that way in Manila? Let’s see then how our counterparts will react. All these years ABS-CBN, your treatment of the regional press is so second class compared to our counterparts in Manila. I should know because I’m certain the Davao press and those in other regions echo the same observation. Please change your style because it sucks and it’s not being ‘Kapamilya’ in the real sense of the word. Or maybe you don’t understand and you don’t know how a kapamilya should be. If so, then go check its meaning.