Then who?

Public Relations is more than just looking good on the paper, television and radio. It is showing to the public how you care for your customers, not to mention putting them first before anything else. My teacher told us that PR is an investment because it is today's trend for marketing.

When something goes wrong, you get into a crisis. Blue chip companies always have a drill for PR departments on crisis communication. This is done so that right responses are given to the customers still showing that they are on top priority despite what is going on.

Even students who are to master PR undergo rigorous training on crisis communication. When they are sent out eventually to the real world, they will not be putting their respective companies into bad lights. Instead, they will turn the mood around showing that they care to those affected in the crisis.

I mention about PR because I strongly feel that the hospital involved in the taping of the baby's mouth early this month has PR issues. Their statement saying that neither their nurse nor the midwives taped the baby's mouth is an outright denial — which in turn ruins their image more considering the incident vis-à-vis their long years of service to the Cebuanos.

You see, I find it illogical when they say that none of their medical staff taped the baby's mouth. I don't find any person in the issue to do it. So I ask who? Now the fingers could be pointed at either the parents who were there to check on their baby and the baby himself, which is quite impossible.

I don't think a parent would tape a noisy baby, take pictures and post it on social media for the world to see. They've already gone through too much stress in the childbirth, let alone adding another problem. Of course, a baby does not have a thinking facility to get a tape and place it on his mouth to stop himself from crying. That is purely ridiculous.

The question that is still ringing is who? Since there is no person yet to point at, the hospital should have said that they are still under investigation instead of denying the incident. It is like adding salt to the wound. Because of how they responded, there are more puzzled and skeptic faces on the issue than before.

Legality will always make the issue legitimate but the response is what is seen by the public. When you respond towards the favor of the customers, then they will see the company is doing a good job. When it is the latter, then it is a totally different story. 

New born children are to be taken care of well. This is a human instinct and to place tape on a noisy baby's mouth is over the line. What the parents said was true. The baby may not have the capacity to speak out for himself but the parents will continue the fight.

Now that other agencies have intervened on this issue, my only hope is that the hospital will cooperate instead of adding resistance. This means that there is something fishy going on in their operations. As to the parents, I also seek justice with you so that this may not happen again to any child who is brought into this world. May the real doer of the act come forth and admit so all the fuzz will be over.

Businesses do not just solely exist to make money. They are institutions that people look up to, so that their image must always be wholesome. They also have a social responsibility to their community by helping out in whatever way they can. If I were them, I'd do anything to keep this image intact.