FROM an academic scholar of public relations (PR) to a thought leader in his field, award-winning communications practitioner and COMCO Southeast Asia’s Regional Integration-CEO, Partner and Cofounder Ferdinand L. Bondoy has been appointed to lead the industry’s student programs: the Students’ PR Congress (now rebranded as “Students’ PR Con”) and Grand Prix (Hack Sprint edition) of the Public Relations Society of the Philippines (PRSP) and the Student Quill Awards of the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC)-Philippines.
Bondoy had also served as one of the regional jurors of the International Communications Consultancy Organization’s Next Generation PR World Cup. The Southeast Asian leg of the competition for young PR practitioners was organized by the Public Relations and Communications Association (PRCA) Asia Pacific. He was also elected as member of the United Kingdom-based Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) International Communications Committee composed of PR leaders from around the world.
The COMCO executive was also elected to the IABC Philippines’ Board of Trustees from 2021 to 2023, and was named corporate secretary as well as chair of Digital Communications and PR Committee. He spearheads a special project for youth and students, and also serves as the cochair of the Philippine Student Quill Awards. (Those who want to join can submit their entries at www.philquill.com.)
Early in 2021 Bondoy was elected to this year’s Board of Trustees of PRSP. Under his term, he will be introducing and leading the first virtual, interactive and nationwide edition of the said student activities. The PRSP Students’ PR Con is happening on November 20 at 8 a.m. (Interested parties can register at www.prspstudentsprcon.com/register.)
The PR professional started young in the communications field, having been an academic scholar of PRSP in Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila (University of the City of Manila) where he graduated cum laude with a degree in Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication. Early in his professional years, he was assimilated to IABC Philippines, led projects for the Digital Communications Committee of the Philippine Quill and Student Quill Awards, then eventually served as an evaluator of the prestigious award-giving body.
“Spearheading the Students’ PR Con and Grand Prix Hack Sprint edition of PRSP, [as well as the Student Quill Awards of IABC Philippines, are efforts] close to my heart, as my career and craft started through the industry’s student programs,” said Bondoy, who is also fondly called “Coach” by those whom he took under his wing and mentored in the practice. “It is an honor and an opportunity for me to give back to the industry by preparing the next generation of communications, PR professionals and leaders, just like how I was honed in the field. It has come full circle, and I think this is the reason…I was given this position: to complete the narrative that the [seeds] sowed yesterday are the fruits harvested today.”
He added: “It is also an honor and a responsibility to represent the country and work for the industry [on] a global scale through the landmark projects and programs organized by PRCA and CIPR. And we will continue to contribute, be heard and be part of this global community of PR experts and leaders to further grow the discipline across the globe and impact social change.”
In the same spirit of paying it forward, Bondoy—together with COMCO Southeast Asia’s pool of experts—built the Camp COMCO Mentorship Program, which is an intensive and comprehensive talent-incubation initiative, industry linkage course and apprenticeship program designed to transform communication, marketing and multimedia arts students and fresh graduates into revolutionary practitioners of the industry. Now on its 16th Cycle, Camp COMCO has been cited for producing high-caliber young communications practitioners since 2016.