IABC Philippines Elects New Board of Trustees

The International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) Philippines announced its new Board of Trustees for 2021 – 2023 with proven expertise and fresh perspectives in the dynamic field of business communications.

The diverse group of trustees includes leading communications professionals from different fields, such as banking, insurance, media and entertainment, utilities, and advocacy groups, to the heavyweights of the country’s top communications agencies.

Joe Zaldarriaga will continue to serve as Chairman and Chair of the IABC Philippines Forum Series. He is the Vice President and Head of Corporate Communications of the Manila Electric Company, spearheading the corporate communications team of the Philippines’ biggest private electric power distributor. He is a recipient of the Medallion of Honor and Scroll of Commendation from the University of Manila – a testament to his years in public service exemplified by outstanding communication excellence.

Belle Tiongco was re-elected as President of IABC Philippines. She is the Co-Founder of Football for Humanity, an independent (CIO) charity registered in the UK and the Philippines harnessing the power of play to educate, empower and protect children facing the threat of violence, exploitation, and poverty. In IABC, she has thrice chaired the Philippine Quill Awards and CEO Excel Awards.

Richard Arboleda will serve as Vice President and Co-Chair of the Digital and Publicity Committee of IABC Philippines. He is currently the President and COO of EON Group, one of the largest Filipino integrated communication agencies in the country. Prior to joining EON, he held communication leadership roles in Wyeth and Samsung. In IABC, he has chaired the Philippine Quill Awards and the Student Quill Awards twice and has also served as Chair of the CEO Excel Awards.

Ferdinand Bondoy was named as Secretary and Chair of the Digital and Publicity Committee. A certified digital marketer and crisis counselor in Asia-Pacific, he is the Regional Integration and Chief Executive Director of ComCo Southeast Asia, a global award-winning integrated communications agency in the Philippines with affiliate network presence in Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia. In IABC, he chaired the recent Student Quill Awards and continues to manage the CommChat Series.

Sherryl Yao was elected as Treasurer of IABC Philippines. The Head of Public Service of TV5 Network Inc., she leads Rescue 5, the Emergency Response Unit of News5. Rescue 5 made the pioneering move in the Philippines to equip news reporters and cameramen with emergency medical service and other lifesaving skills and was also the first in the broadcast industry to become an affiliated reserve unit of the Armed Forces of the Philippines-Philippine Air Force (AFP-PAF).

Ramon Isberto will serve as Auditor of the Board of Trustees. He was Public Affairs Head of the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT) and its wholly-owned wireless subsidiary, Smart Communications Inc. He now hosts the weekly TV show “Tech Ka Muna” which is aired on Cignal TV One PH, along with doing consultancy work and contributing articles to various news publications.

Dave Devilles was named Chair of the Membership, Learning, and Engagement Committee. He is currently the Vice President for Sustainability, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), and Employee Relations of Union Bank of the Philippines. During his stint as Chair of the Philippine Quill Awards, IABC Philippines redesigned the online facility for an efficient and eco-friendly management system.

Melody Del Rosario will serve as Chair of the Environment, Social, and Governance Committee. She is Metro Pacific Investment Corporations’ (MPIC) Vice President of Corporate Communications and President of the Metro Pacific Investments Foundation Inc. She has over 28 years of experience heading MPIC’s public and media relations, corporate communications, advertising, and CSR.

Robert “Bobby” Vito was named Chair of the Philippine CEO Excel Awards. He is the Managing Director of Ripple8, the public relations company of the DDB Group in the Philippines. He has been in the business of communications for 25 years and is a founding member of Ripple8, one of the most award-winning PR agencies in the country.

Abigail Ho-Torres will serve as Chair of the Philippine Quill Awards. She is the Assistant Vice President and Head of Advocacy and Marketing of Maynilad Water Services, Inc. She leads the corporate social responsibility, brand building, marketing management, and market research initiatives of the company. Abigail was formerly a business reporter of the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

Leah Caringal was named Chair of the Sponsorship Committee. As the CEO of Greenbulb Communications and RedTorch Communications, Leah has established experience in leading communications campaigns for a variety of clients, from government, consumer, FMCG, financial and technology industries.

The new board is supported by a distinguished roster of veteran communicators and past presidents: Elpi Cuna, IABC Fellow and Consultant of San Miguel Corporation; Rey Anthony David, President of Great Wall Advertising; Carmencita Arce, Vice President and Executive Director of Philippine Business Center Inc.; Ritzi Villarico-Ronquillo, IABC Fellow and Consultant for Business Communication and Strategic PR, and Kane Errol Choa, Vice President and Head of Corporate Communications, ABS-CBN Corporation.

IABC Philippines President Belle Tiongco shared, “In my second term, I think I would like to steer IABC Philippines to a continuous drive towards upgrading our knowledge and appreciation of the technology and the developments surrounding our industry. We survived the pandemic because we adjusted and evolved so quickly; so, let’s keep evolving!”

“Establishing this new era of diverse, highly-effective and inspiring leadership is a timely development now that we are ushering in the “next normal” way of living and working, one where authentic communications have proven to be integral,” said Joe Zaldarriaga, IABC Philippines Chairman. “I know that IABC PH is in the hands of trailblazers who have deep foundations in excellent business communications and strategic PR that can bring the organization to new heights. We look forward to continuously raising the bar of communication excellence that the Philippine chapter is known for and one of the organizations looked up to even at the global level.”

IABC Philippines is the first IABC country chapter in Asia. It is an association of top business, industrial and organizational communicators and professionals that supports the highest professional standards and practice of exceptional quality and innovation in the organization and business communication. It advocates for continued professional growth, learning, and communication excellence, linking Filipino practitioners with colleagues and practices worldwide. Its two major communication excellence industry awards are the Philippine Quill and the Philippine CEO EXCEL Awards. IABC is a member of the Global Alliance of Public Relations and Communication Management.