We, the members of theInternational Public Relations Association (Ipra) Philippine Chapter, join our friends and colleagues in the advertising and PR industry in remembering and celebrating the life of our beloved friend and member, Ramon “Bong” Osorio, who recently passed.
Bong was, first and foremost, a highly respected leader in the fields of communication, marketing, advertising and public relations where he served with dedication in various capacities: He was president of Capri, an advocacy and PR agency; corporate communications head of ABS-CBN, and was university professor at the University of Santo Tomas, teaching several generations of media, advertising and marketing professionals. He was past president of two other major PR organizations—the Public Relations Society of the Philippines (PRSP) and the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) and was a much sought-after speaker for various local and international conferences. Bong was also a well-read columnist of the Business Life section of Philippine Star and was our most prolific contributor to this column.
Anyone who has worked with Bong or even just met him briefly has only excellent words to say about him. He was kind, honest and inspiring as mentioned by countless students many of whom he remembered personally so he even considered doing a book, dedicated to his students, which he planned to call Under my Tutelage.
To us , his Ipra family, Bong was more of a warm, caring and a thoughtful ally who was always eager to help out, whether in formulating an important policy in PR, participating in our lively discussions or simply to document our meetings with his endearing selfies peppered with his infectious wit and humour.
Despite his many achievements, Bong remained humble and trustworthy.
We all want to remember him as an outstanding communications professional, a fine gentleman, and a man of God who left us a lasting legacy of sincere and honorable service to our industry. Thank you Bong, for the generous and heartfelt friendship.
On a more personal note, I would like to add that I first met Bong in 1973 when I first taught Public Relations to his graduating batch of Mass Communication students at UST.
Our friendship flourished as our careers became interwoven when we both started at Ace-Compton Advertising after which he moved on to other agencies while I set up my own. We kept in constant touch through the years and when I invited him to join us at Ipra, it was a chance for us to meet more regularly. My most memorable time with Bong was when we traveled to South Africa in 2015 to attend the Ipra Golden World Awards. It is said that the best way to get to know a person thoroughly well is when you travel with him. Although there were three of us (my husband was with us), it was never a “crowd” because Bong was delightfully open, gracious and genuinely helpful and we appreciated his company and even planned to travel to another destination again.
They say Life is a gift but the way you live your life is your gift to others. Bong’s life was his gift to me and to all of us who knew him. You will always be my closest male friend, (second only to my husband who agrees). You will be missed but never forgotten.
Millie F. Dizon
Senior Vice President for Marketing and Communications of SM
I first met Bong Osorio when he joined our IPRA group. He was with ABS-CBN at that time, and although he had already made his mark in the PR industry as President of IABC and PRSP, he was remarkably humble, low-key and kind.
Bong was also a wonderful writer, and when we launched our PR Matters column, he would generously share this gift in the many articles he wrote. It was very challenging gathering articles every week from the group—and that is another story—but he was always happy to submit well-researched features which I am sure many readers learned from.
I particularly loved his coverage of the ANC series wherein he gave the BusinessMirror readers a front row seat to the inspiring talks of Richard Branson, Madeleine Albright, and Martha Stewart gave. Later on, I would work closely with him and Joy Buensalido to put together the book we were planning. He would always make time for this, but would always leave before 5:30 as he was serving as an Extraordinary Eucharistic Minister at the Rockwell Chapel.
We would often bump into each other at his cousin Teng Roma’s Emphasis Salon in Rockwell, and spent many happy and light moments there. His last article for this column was his coverage of the Martha Stewart event, which I noticed he was taking unusually a longer time to submit. He later admitted he was having difficulty with it, and asked the girls in Emphasis to e-mail to me. Little did I know that was the beginning of his illness.
Later on, as his illness progressed, Emphasis would become our point of contact. I would get updates about his health from Teng, and would send food and books to his Joya unit through Joel from the salon. Bong would graciously text his thanks, and when Joel would ask how he was, he told him to tell me that he was okay and he hoped to be getting stronger. Today, he has joined the Lord whom he loved. Thank you Bong for your friendship, your generosity, and your kindness. You will be missed.
Richard Burgos
Director, Science and Technology Information Institute, Department of Science and Technology
Bong Osoriowas never one to put on airs and yet whenever he entered the room he was a breeze: of calm and deep professional insight, of hilarity and warm friendship. He always carried his own sunshine and at meetings of Ipra Philippines and in private we basked in his radiance.
At the Science and Technology Information Institute (STII) of the Department of Science and Technology we launched DOSTv in 2016 as a broadcast platform to inform the public, reach out to young audiences on social media and help create a culture of science and technology in the country. Our ragtag team had neither the industry experience nor the marketing savvy to sustain DOSTv. Bong served pro bono on the DOSTv Committee and made us leverage assets we already had that could be interesting to our audience segments: weather information, disaster preparedness, research and development breakthroughs, inventions by Filipinos, outstanding DOST scholars, etc. He also encouraged us to reach more people and invest in shows on commercial TV channels giving way to new shows like Siyensikat and DOSTv sa Radyo.
I can ill imagine what could have happened to DOST if we did not gain more confidence in our own broadcast strengths when the Covid-19 pandemic became the greatest show-stopper of all time. Under this new normal, we are able to broadcast DOST information on social media even from our homes whenever needed. Bong was our wise and inspiring guru who helped our team rise from zero to hero. Thank you for your service, Bong!
Kane Choa
Vice President & Head of Integrated Corporate Communication of ABS-CBN Corp.
The last time I spoke to Bong was in early March when he called me one night. I answered my phone immediately when I saw his name in the caller ID. He rarely called since his operation last year. He complained that he had a hard time reaching me and that I was not answering the phone. I know I didn’t miss any call at that time because I was busy reading and replying to messages. But I did not correct him anymore. He said he wanted to meet me. His tone was different and did not sound his usual self. I felt the urgency and readily said yes.
We agreed to look for a common date to meet for lunch. Before we ended the call, Bong joked, “Mag-aapply ako sa iyo.” And I said, “Sure. Magpagaling po muna kayo.” Bong was my boss in ABS-CBN for six years until he retired in 2013. I knew him since college, where he was my professor in public relations management. Through the years, we would bump into each other at the University of Santo Tomas, where we both taught part-time. He never failed to spend time for a short conversation. And when you needed advice, he would always be available even if he was busy running a PR agency as its president and CEO. No wonder people often describe him as friendly and accommodating. To many, he is “Sir Bong,” a term of endearment especially for his thousands of students from different fields of whom he was proud of. It gave him much joy to see his students succeed in life. After all, he was an educator at heart. Even after he retired from work and teaching, he continued to conduct workshops and spoke at conferences. It was his passion to share knowledge and bring out the best in people.
I learned from my team who visited him last Christmas that he still wanted to do many things when he got better. I wondered if he had wanted to discuss those ideas if we had met. But on the night before our meeting, his niece called to reset because of the lockdown. I wondered how we could meet after the ECQ with the quarantine and social distancing. This pandemic has changed our lifestyle and norms. Now I will never know what he wanted to discuss because, on the morning of April 30, I got a message asking if the posts about Bong on Facebook were true. That day, I lost a teacher, a mentor, and a coach. Salamat, Sir Bong!
Jingjing Romero
President of Stratos Inc.
Bong Osorio was my prayer partner.
Not known to many, Bong and I shared spiritual moments together. It was not the kind that you go to mass together, go on pilgrimages nor pray the rosary together.
In fact while all these were happening we were always apart.
One poignant memory I would like to share, was when he was on pilgrimage in Rome. Without fail, he would text me, everytime he has been to a church, to say he prayed for me. If he visited several churches that day, he would text each time. That meant a lot to me as I just found out I had breast CA. The constant texts lifted my spirit, knowing that a friend in Rome, instead of enjoying himself, was out there looking after me through prayers.
When he returned, he gave me a beautiful rosary that he said was blessed by Pope Benedict. I did not expect the rosary, as I was just so happy and contented that he was praying for me. He never stopped praying for me, reminding me from time to time that I am in his petitions.
When he fell ill, he called me one day asking for not only my prayers, but for all the novenas I was praying daily.
I told him which prayers I recited for his complete healing. I forwarded all these novenas by messenger and he happily called to thank me for them.
I will always think of him as a prayer partner. I know that from Heaven, Bong continues to pray for me, until it is time for us to meet again.
Ritzi Villarico-Ronquillo
APR, IABC Fellow. Consultant and Coach, Business Communication and Strategic PR
Bong was a dear friend, ever supportive, caring, generous with his ideas, a prolific writer, newspaper columnist and educator. He and I were together in three professional associations: the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) where he was my predecessor as APAC regional director, in IABC Philippines as Advisers and Past Presidents, in PRSP as Past Presidents and members of the Presidents Council, and in Ipra and Ipra Philippines as members.
We were together in conferences, meetings, programs and events in these organizations; and kapamilya during his ABS-CBN days and my Meralco days. He was a joy to be with, welcoming and helpful.
For all his achievements and sterling credentials, Bong was most unassuming as he continually guided and encouraged both students and practitioners. Bong will be missed. But his legacy will live on in fond memories and in our hearts.
PR Matters is a roundtable column by members of the local chapter of the United Kingdom-based International Public Relations Association (Ipra), the world’s premier association for senior communications professionals around the world. Joy Lumawig-Buensalido is the President and CEO of Buensalido & Associates Public Relations.
PR Matters is devoting a special column each month to answer our readers’ questions about public relations. Please send your questions or comments to askipraphil@gmail.com.
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