Advocating for innovative and responsible communications, Meralco Vice President and Head of Corporate Communications, Joe R. Zaldarriaga, has urged next generation communicators to use their transformative power to redefine the communication landscape while upholding transparency, ethics and truth.

In his opening remarks during the final day of The Communications Olympiad, a nationwide training and competition for communications, marketing, and public relations students, Zaldarriaga encouraged the young communicators to utilize the several innovations, digital platforms and tools with a strong sense of responsibility.

Co-organized by International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) Philippines and COMCO School of Communications, the three-day event brought together students from various schools and universities across the country spanning regions from Metro Manila, CALABARZON, Tarlac, Bicol, Cordilleras, Antique, and Iloilo City.

Emphasizing the true power of communicators, Zaldarriaga, who also serves as the chairman of IABC Philippines, said: “We don’t just inform—we have the ability to transform. To shape mindsets, influence attitudes, and move people toward a more conscious and responsible way of living.”

The communications executive also highlighted the unique capabilities of the younger generation in engaging and communicating that allows them not just to make topics and conversations trend, but also to create transformative impact.

“You are not just the future. You are the now. You are the hope of our profession. The ones who will ensure that communication in the Philippines remains grounded in the basics—clarity, purpose, and most crucially, ethics and truth,” Zaldarriaga concluded.