ENDEAVOR
Sonny Coloma
“An anvil is a metalworking tool consisting of a large block of metal, with a flattened top surface, upon which another object is struck. Anvils are as massive as practical, because the higher their inertia, the more efficiently they cause the energy of striking tools to be transferred to the work piece.” — Wikipedia
The anvil was chosen by the Public Relations Society of the Philippines (PRSP) to symbolize the awards of excellence given annually to outstanding programs, tools, and practitioners.
In 2018, Carlos Aquino Agatep, one of the PRSP’s founders, published Winning at the Anvils, a book that presents summaries of over 60 of the 137 Anvil awards won by Grupo Agatep for 41 companies and individuals. The book tells the story of each Anvil Award — the specific objectives of every project, the intended target publics to reach, the strategies and methods undertaken to achieve the objectives, and the overall results.
This book focuses on “reputation management and persons who are given management responsibility for reputation issues but who lack expertise in the area.” Charlie Agatep wrote: “If you belong to any of these entities, this book will help you understand the importance of corporate social responsibility (CSR) projects and the planning, strategies and skills required to implement them.”
Notice two key phrases: Corporate social responsibility (CSR) and reputation management.
PR is not simply about enhancing the reputation of corporations, organizations and their leaders. Such reputation becomes truly meaningful only in the context of assuming stewardship for the judicious deployment of resources toward the common good. Social responsibility is exercised by taking care of the natural environment such that resources are sustained, not depleted. Today, profit-seeking corporations have emulated the aspirations of social development organizations in promoting ESG: environment, sustainability and good governance.
In 2017, when PRSP honored Charlie with its highest recognition, Gawad Panday, he said:
“Let us always remember that public relations is a profession of great social impact. We PR practitioners heavily influence the channels of communication, and should therefore avoid communicating ideas of little value. We should be held responsible and accountable for the attitudes and behavior of the publics that we constantly try to reach. The task of public relations is to spread change and to make it meaningful — to render an entire population receptive to it, ready to secure its benefits, and eager to apply these to our daily lives.”
Earlier this year, he was honored by his alma mater University of Santo Tomas’ Varsitarian with Parangal Hagbong. Hagbong is an old Tagalog word that means “laureate,” a person honored for outstanding creative and intellectual achievement. In receiving the award, Agatep said:
“If you want to enter the PR industry and leave a positive legacy, you should always have an open mind. Communication, just like any other discipline, is a continuous process of learning. There is always so much more to explore, there is always a new technology or innovation waiting in the horizon. You must always be at the forefront of trends, because our business to help people manage their reputations is always evolving. If you want to succeed in PR, or in any other field for that matter, go at it with a child-like curiosity. And have that sense of wonder, of curiosity, to approach these things with an inquisitive mind. That’s where the magic begins.”
In 1952, when he was a graduate student at Boston University, he chanced upon his dream camera, a Rolleiflex Automat with 75mm f3.5 Carl Zeiss Planar lens worth $325, or “two times my monthly stipend as a Fulbright and Smith-Mundt fellow of the US State Department.” He wrote in a blog:
“I regaled the saleslady with stories about how poor foreign students were and sweet talked her to give me a discount but all she could offer was 10 months installment at $34 a month. I gave her my first $34 payment , quickly signed the installment agreement an walked out of the store. It wasn’t like winning the mega lotto but it was something close. With my prized Rolleiflex in my hands, the clouds suddenly opened up and a bright light shone down on me.”
His esteemed long-term friend, Dr. Crispin Maslog requested me to write a foreword to the book The PR Guru in 2018, I wrote:
“Indeed, the PR guru is a transformational leader who has steadfastly developed institutions, foremost of which is the firm Grupo Agatep, Inc. Beyond this, he has taught, trained and mentored hundreds of erstwhile young college students in journalism and mass communication into competent practitioners. Above all, in the often rough-and-tumble fields of journalism and PR, he disdained the cavalier attitude towards ethics of those who preferred to tread the slippery slope.
“Charlie Agatep’s path to preeminence was paved by professionalism and competence — and that has made all the difference.”
Charlie passed away in the early morning of Monday, Sept. 12, at the age of 91. Farewell, dear friend, enjoy the clouds and the bright light up there.