A camp like no other

Ateneo de Manila University

Now don’t get me wrong. I did not win some star search on television or an acting award; I simply became a "superstar" during my on-the-job training at PLDT’s Student Camp Program.

Let me explain why. I did not work as a lineman as my relatives tease me. Nor was this student camp an outdoor-challenge for money, despite the survival ring to its name. I was however, part of PLDT’s 10-week summer program where best students from the top universities are recruited to experience working in the different departments of the company. Crème of the crop, am I? I got in after two grueling interviews and landed as part of the Magic Circle of 5 at the PLDT’s media and strategic communications. I delighted to learn that I would be working under the one and only Butch Jimenez, who was responsible for such world-class Filipino blockbuster films, a reason enough to join the program despite the consequential delaying in my studies and graduating a semester late. They assured us that we would not just be making coffee or photocopying documents. Together with 23 other students from Ateneo, DLSU, UA&P, and Mapua, listening to different PLDT personalities who took turns welcoming us with open arms us campers (that’s what we’re called), and into the corporate world that is PLDT. We even got to meet the president of the company, which rarely happens if it were any other practicum.

And indeed, this and many more made the company’s student camp program worth skipping college life, waking up early in the morning and having only two days rest before the school year started. This experience has made me realize that money should never be the sole reason for working.

As part of the media group, we were told we would have the most workload among all the other campers. Projects from Butch and more from the human resources department kept coming in as the weeks progressed. We were the in-house advertising agency, so they said. We did collaterals and ad campaigns for the company and more exciting projects such as its annual report, a photo exhibit showcasing the milestones of the 75-year old company (and which we called our first baby) and the yearbook of the program. The last was the most challenging one yet most fulfilling of all. We had to brainstorm for the over-all look of the yearbook, coordinate with the other 44 campers, arrange for the location at a nearby mall, take pictures for three days and of course, get the yearbook to the printers in less than a week by staying late in the office, working beyond what was required of us. But as I said, it was the most fulfilling because I got to interview and interact with my fellow campers and we bonded even more as we worked the week away.

My experience did not end with work. It included having effective business presentation workshops, proper project management and other classes that employees of other companies do not even have the privilege of experiencing. Their generosity extended far beyond my expectations. As Sir Butch would say, you should work, but don’t forget the fun stuff. So with this, we had several opportunities to bond with each other, having one day off from work to participate in the program’s Sports fest at the Adidas Sports Kamp with the Talk n’ Text team. And after having an executive lunch with "the main man of PLDT" Manuel V. Pangilinan, he invited us to watch one of the PBA games of the team and join them for dinner afterwards. It was certainly an exciting game and a hearty dinner, joining the team and all. One of the first things we got to experience as a group was when we were invited to attend the talk of Francis Kong at the Intercon Hotel about life and work. We also had the opportunity to jam with Paolo Santos. The Kamustahan sessions after office hours where on one occasion with our boss, Sir Butch, treated us to videoke in Greenbelt after a very inspiring talk on the different traits next generation of leaders should have. After listening to him talk and sing, I could only stare with awe.

Now how did I become a superstar? Well, I shone like one. We all did, all 49 of us. I stood out in the crowd as every one else did. My experience at PLDT taught me that there is no such thing as a disability because I can do even more than what I think if only I assert myself. It gave me confidence that I can be a part of greater things and I can become whatever I choose to be. In fact, Cathy, the ate of the campers, taught us that if we are faced with challenges, confront it head on, run your own race and don’t let it stop you.

I also learned each camper has a unique character and that friendships can be formed. Indeed, each one is special, with talents peering through, waiting to be revealed. What made me happy is knowing I made a difference in someone’s life. As I was going through my newfound friends’ notes written in my yearbook, one wrote, "Thanks for helping me loosen up." And so it brings me to this thought: no wonder it feels great to become a superstar, because it is unimaginable just how many lives you can touch through what you do.

If there is anything that made our group the self-proclaimed superstars that we are, it is because we learned to love what we do. It would have been such a burden if I treated this OJT as work. However, I didn’t. Everyday I looked forward to coming to the office to give my everything into the projects. We loved it so much that even if it required working late at night, meeting up on weekends, and sacrificing time with our families and for ourselves, we gamely worked together to accomplish the job. We managed to mix the work and fun together. This, in turn became the passion for work, we became stars.

To top the ice cream sundae, came the friendship I formed with my media colleagues. I got to work with three other students; two from the University of the Philippines taking up Fine Arts and the other, from De La Salle University, where she majors in Computer Science. What was great about them was that they understood my lack of skills as well as my kookiness; they accepted me as part of the group where they even taught me a thing or two about Photoshop. Through the 10 weeks of working from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., we learned how to work better as a team, supporting each other, even through those insane hours of work. The bonding with Obey, Syd and Carla was so special that working together seemed like one huge and long barkada so passionate with our job that we baptized our group, and later on the rest of the campers, as superstars. What I experienced in PLDT is definitely that one in a one-in-a-million chance.

It was worth being a part of and I would never trade this experience for anything. The PLDT Student Camp will always be a bittersweet memory to me. It is like an enjoyable movie that I’m sad it has come to an end. It was a success on the filmmaker’s side because everyone played their role and gave even more than what was expected of them. Watching just like a moviegoer as well as playing a major role in the program taught me the value of work, discipline, time and dedication, not to mention the passion, friendship and fun that came along with it. And if I were to be a film critic, I would rate this program "two thumbs-up" and perhaps rename it into "The Superstars." Why superstars? Because through the talent, intelligence, skill and personality we exhibited, we shone so bright and became superstars, which all became too impossible to ignore.