Industry leaders serve as primary enablers for the “Steward the Signal” campaign, presenting the MAKI+FIESTA festival to foster ethical regional narratives and community digital proficiency.
PRSP President Ana Ruby Pista, APR, alongside Roby Alampay of PLDT and Smart, formalize a strategic alliance in Cebu City aimed at empowering Visayan media practitioners and digital innovators.
CEBU CITY, PHILIPPINES — The Public Relations Society of the Philippines (PRSP) has forged a landmark alliance with industry giants PLDT Inc. and Smart Communications, Inc. to catalyze digital integration and professional upskilling for the Visayan communication landscape.
Marking a significant milestone, this collaboration serves as the cornerstone of the “Steward the Signal: PRSP Goes to Cebu” initiative, signaling the Society’s return to the Queen City of the South after twenty years. As key enablers of this regional push, PLDT and Smart are instrumental in actualizing the Society’s goal to bridge geographical divides and nurture local expertise among practitioners beyond the capital.
At the heart of this engagement is the co-presentation of MAKI+FIESTA, a comprehensive media festival held at Southwestern University PHINMA. The event serves as a collaborative hub for journalists, digital innovators, and academic leaders to advocate for ethical narratives and advanced media proficiency within the community.
“PLDT and Smart recognize that meaningful connectivity involves more than just technical networks; it is about strengthening the voices that influence our national discourse,” noted Roby Alampay, FVP and Head of Public Engagement Group at PLDT and Smart. “Through our support of the ‘Steward the Signal’ campaign, we are dedicated to enhancing the capabilities of regional storytellers and digital pioneers. Our objective is to provide communities with the essential digital acumen and ethical framework required to lead in today’s complex communication environment.”
Roby Alampay, FVP and Head of Public Engagement Group at PLDT and Smart, highlights the importance of upskilling and community empowerment during the launch of the Steward the Signal partnership with PRSP.
PRSP President Ana B. Pista, APR, emphasized that the telcos’ support is vital to making this nationwide expansion sustainable.
“Our return to Cebu is about building a lasting ecosystem, and we cannot do that without strong allies who control the digital highways,” Pista said. “With PLDT and Smart backing our vision, we are actively closing the gap for professional development, ensuring that practitioners in the Visayas have the tools, networks, and digital capability to thrive globally.”
PRSP president, Ana Pista, APR, declares PRSP’s long-awaited return to Cebu.
The MAKI+FIESTA festival features an extensive lineup of speakers from media, government, academia, and civil society. Keynote tracks focus heavily on combating disinformation, ethical storytelling in the digital age, and leveraging technology for civic engagement. Featured speakers include Antoinette Taus, Roby Alampay, Voltaire Tupaz, Inday Varona, Prof. Yvonne Chua, Prof. Rachel Khan, Kat de Castro, Emver P. Cortez, Dr. Dante Velasco, Dean Toym Imao, Benjamin Joseph David, Jen Aquino, and John Sitchon.
Engelbert Apostol, PRSP chair of the Society’s Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives, added, “MAKI+FIESTA, powered by PLDT and Smart, is a public service in action. By bringing together students and veterans alike, we are strengthening a communications ecosystem that is more ethical, more collaborative, and deeply responsive to society’s needs.”
Beyond the media festival, PLDT and Smart are supporting a suite of milestone activities during the Cebu engagement, the launch of Steward’s Edge: PRSP Professional Development Training – Cebu Leg, and the formalization of new strategic partnerships with local public and private organizations.
Together, these initiatives underscore a shared, long-term commitment by PRSP, PLDT, and Smart to build stronger, highly skilled communication communities throughout the Visayas.
The PLDT Group is an Anvil Awards Hall of Fame awardee, reflecting its sustained excellence in public relations as recognized by the PRSP.
A UNITED FRONT FOR UPSKILLING PR AND COMMUNICATIONS PROFESSIONALS. (From Left) Edgar Timbungco, APR/CPME, PRSP VP for External Affairs and 33rd PR National Congress Chair; Ria Therese Repunte, SWU PHINMA Executive Director of the School of Design and Communication; Kim Mark Biason, SWU Assistant Chief Operations Officer; Emver P. Cortez, PRSP Professional Development Chair and PIA-NCR Regional Director; Ana Ruby Pista, APR, PRSP President and Founder/CEO of Ardent Communications; Roby Alampay, PLDT and Smart FVP and Head of Public Engagement; Steve Michael Moore Jr., PRSP Student Caravan and Grand Prix Chair; Engelbert Apostol, PRSP CSR Chair and Quezon City PAISD Head; Norman Agatep, APR, PRSP VP for Internal Affairs and 62nd Anvil Awards Chair; Jennifer Aquino, Probe Managing Director; Voltaire Tupaz, FYT Media Executive Director; and Angelene Buenaventura, Media Meter Inc. Business Development Director, gather for a solidarity photo during the launch of the “Steward the Signal” initiative in Cebu City.
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About the Public Relations Society of the Philippines
The Public Relations Society of the Philippines (PRSP) is the country’s premier organization for public relations and communication professionals. For nearly seven decades, PRSP has championed excellence, ethics, professionalism, and nation-building through strategic communication, continuing professional education, industry collaboration, and leadership development. Through initiatives such as the PR Caravan, MAKI+FIESTA, and Steward’s Edge, PRSP continues to invest in the next generation of communication practitioners while expanding access to learning and professional development across the Philippines.
About PLDT and Smart
PLDT Inc. is the Philippines’ largest, most fully integrated telecommunications company. Through its principal business groups—fixed line, wireless, and others—PLDT offers a wide range of telecommunications and digital services across the Philippines’ most extensive fiber optic backbone, and fixed line and cellular networks.
Smart Communications, Inc. is a wholly-owned wireless communications and digital services subsidiary of PLDT. Smart serves approximately 95% of the country’s cities and municipalities with its combined 2G, 3G, 4G LTE, and 5G network, providing mobile communications services, high-speed internet connectivity, and digital services to Filipinos nationwide. Together, PLDT and Smart are champions of nation-building, digital inclusion, and community empowerment.