When a crisis hits, the atmosphere is filled with intense stress, uncertainty, and chaos. The natural instinct is to pull down the blinds, stay tight-lipped, and hope the issue simply goes away. But a crisis is not just a threat to a brand’s bottom line; it is a human event that impacts real people, says Philippine National Bank (PNB) Marketing Head Jen Ng.

She recently organized a Crisis Management and Communications Workshop for the PNB Board—headed by Chairman Ed Cua and Vice Chair Lucio Tan III—and Senior Management, led by PNB President Edwin Bautista. She invited Dr. Maria Carmencita “Babes” Suva-Alfonso, an educator at Ateneo and La Salle with years of experience in public and corporate relations, to share her expertise on crisis management. Joining her was seasoned journalist Gerg Cahiles, anchor of Agenda on the Bilyonaryo News Channel, who provided case studies on how best to handle responses and navigate through potential crisis situations. Both speakers were exceptionally qualified and provided the practical, strategic tools needed to lead organizations through high-pressure situations.

The objective of the workshop was to move beyond cold corporate jargon to how organizations can think and speak with one clear voice while maintaining transparency, protecting reputation, and preserving public trust. Dr. Babes stressed the importance of providing truthful information on a timely basis, especially in today’s world where social media, vloggers, and influencers can shape public opinion within minutes. She emphasized how critical it is for organizations to communicate their own verified information rather than allowing others to define the narrative.

She reminded everyone that “crises are preventable.” When issues are identified and addressed early, there is a better chance of preventing them from escalating. Once an issue has reached the crisis stage, influencing public perception or resolving the problem becomes much more difficult.

She discussed the Issues Management Process, which includes identification, analysis, strategy, action, and evaluation. She noted, “Locate the smoke and take action before a major fire develops.” The message was clear: prevention is better than crisis management.

The discussion also described what happens when the radar fails—a crisis situation that has reached a critical phase where dramatic and extraordinary intervention is necessary to avoid or repair major damage. Some of the crisis elements she discussed were surprise, insufficient information, escalating events, loss of control, increased outside scrutiny, a siege mentality, and panic.

The key to crisis management is preparedness, and planning is critical long before a crisis hits. She highlighted four important elements of crisis planning. First, you must define the risk by clearly understanding what the risk is before communicating. Second, you must describe mitigating actions, because with the risk well-defined, the public will believe your solutions. Third, you must identify the cause, as the public is more likely to trust you can remedy the problem if they believe you know what went wrong. Finally, you must demonstrate responsible action by acting to correct the issue, communicating what was done, and assuring the public that the situation is under control.

Media engagement plays a key role in crisis management. The goals are to terminate the crisis immediately, minimize damage, and restore credibility. Speed matters. When complete information is not yet available, it is acceptable to acknowledge that the facts are still being verified. Commit to providing updates as soon as possible, and ensure you follow through. Accurate reporting is vital. Have specific numbers to report, and if they are not yet available, say so rather than inventing or speculating. Maintain an open line of communication; communication should never stop. Otherwise, if the organization remains silent or fails to tell its story, the vacuum will be filled—often by misinformation.

Several practical principles in engaging with the media were shared during the session. Organizations should speak first and continue communicating, avoid speculation, and be cautious with “off-the-record” conversations. It is vital to stay with the facts, be open, and show empathy and genuine concern. Leaders should never treat the media as the enemy, but instead establish themselves as credible and authoritative figures while staying calm and never lying.

In short: always be prepared, be available, be credible (“honesty is the best policy”), and act appropriately. She also suggested maintaining a good relationship with the media regularly, rather than calling them only when there is a need.

The session was a valuable reminder of the importance of planning, being prepared, and maintaining open communication on a timely and regular basis—with honesty, clarity, credibility, and composure during difficult times. A crisis managed well can even be an opportunity to rebuild stronger stakeholder trust.