Lesson in winning
public goodwill

Senator Loren Legarda was in town yesterday. She held a press conference at L'Fisher Hotel moderated by Councilor Jun Gamboa.

Loren has a very well organized PR outfit. I did not see this in other politicians. Maybe many did not see it. I did.

If Loren topped the Senate slate last May, one reason has been her good people handling publicity. It's not a surprise. Loren is a broadcast journalism graduate of U.P. cum laude.

Her fluency and beautiful face fit her well in broadcast. And also, while many others in broadcast are good as readers of well-prepared script, Loren is good at ad libbing. And she also has journalism blood running thorough her veins. She is the grand daughter of the late Jose P. Bautista, editor of the defunct Manila Times. I was a Manila Times correspondent when Joe Bautista was Times editor. He was well known as the "Tiger of the Desk," a very strict editor.

***

Before her arrival in Bacolod, her PR assistant Paulo Espiritu was already calling all media people here. He did not leave the organization of the press conference to local people but did it himself.

And with Sagay City Councilor Tonet Marañon contacting friends here, Loren had a good media audience. These many years, Tonet has been a long time friend of Loren doing things for her here.

It was at the request of Tonet that I devoted the full hour of my Feedback last night to the Legarda press conference. Tonet is an original Legarda supporter.

***

I wrote yesterday about the possibility of Senator Legarda trying her hand at the presidency. It's not far-fetched. In her SONA, people noted President Arroyo mentioning a "she" as a successor.

Loren said the President could be referring to her when she mentioned "she" as a successor.

Actually, the President enumerated lengthily her many infrastructure projects that the administration is undertaking which should be left for her successor to reap the harvest for her toil.

The President said, "he or she will have an easier time of it." But, yesterday, she was non-committal. When she came and I greeted her telling "Madame President," she said, some might not like it.

Well, in the scramble for the presidency, many things can still happen with so many ambitious politicians.

***

I have long been impressed by Loren Legarda's PR outfit. Yesterday, when I met Mayor Bing Leonardia's PIO Ramon Lozana, I told him, "Learn from how Loren's outfit runs her PR."

I believe Bing's PR office is still much wanting. But, his is just better than that of Congressman Monico Puentevella who, I feel, is not well organized yet except naughty barkers during the election!

If the fight between the two will be renewed in 2010 and all indications point to a renewal, it will be a fight where media will be the battleground.

You may have a different view but I believe, the result of the 2007 election in Bacolod was indicative of the perception of media people. Of course, logistics played an important role, too.

***

Media leaders yesterday met to discuss the case of the shooting of Super Radio Manager Bambi Yngson, one of the directors of the Negros Press Club.

While we all were one in denouncing the dastardly act, we were also one in calling for a thorough investigation which shows, we have confidence in our police authorities.

This is good for the police. No one doubted that there will be a white wash, probably because it did not involve a policeman but a Land Transportation Office deputized agent.

The best move was the call for a thorough investigation of LTO using deputized agents to shake up motorists.

In Bacolod, LTO personnel or their deputized agents are better behaved because of the nearness to media outlets.

But in the interior towns, motorists, especially tricycle drivers are at the mercy of LTO agents and their deputized assistants.

And Bambi Yngson, being from Sagay, knew how LTO deputized agents fleece motorists and tricycle drivers there.

Super Radio must hire good lawyers to prosecute the assailant of Yngson. We must prove to all, it does not pay to shoot journalists.*

back to top