“A Different Kind of a Press Conference”
Last month, we were advised by Ms. Hazel Parfan – our Associate Producer for “May Bukas Pa” to attend a press conference last 03 August 2009 . Venue of the press con was the 9501 Resto at the 14th floor of the ABS-CBN’s ELJ Building.
I was very much excited to attend my first ever press conference! To my mind, it was another fringe benefit from our employer – ABS-CBN for being one of its contract artists!
The text message gave the time of the press con at 5:00 p.m. I was thinking of leaving office earlier to be at the venue on time. However, I remembered that in our last Thanksgiving Party, we were advised that it will start at 4:00 p.m. but when I reached 9501 Resto on time, no one was around yet. Only after a few minutes did Dominic Ochoa arrive. The party started past 6:00 p.m.
So instead, I left my office on East Avenue at exactly 5:00 p.m. and immediately droved to the ABS-CBN’s ELJ Building . After I entrusted my car to the valet driver, I went to the elevator where the guard simply noted my name on the guest list. I looked at the guest list and saw that the list was for the media people and did not have the names of the cast.
When I reached 9501 Resto at 5:15 p.m. there were about 5 cast members that arrived ahead of me. I noticed that there were several tables with chairs labeled with our names. It was then that I received a text message from Andre Tiangco (another cast member and co-priest) asking if the press con had started already and that he was still at the San Fernando NLEX entrance, it was 5:30 p.m. I told him that Zaijian Jaranilla (Santino) was already around but there were still many cast members who have not arrived yet.
We were given black t-shirts with print saying “Panalo Ka Bro” which we were told to wear during the presscon. The other members of the cast were slowly coming in. At about 6:30 p.m. we were served dinner in the holding area.
At about 7:00 , Ms. Ethel Manaloto-Espiritu our Production Manager summoned all of us cast members inside the holding room for a briefing. It was a large group: from the lead stars (Zaijian Jaranilla, Tonton Gutierrez and Albert Martinez, Precious Lara Quigaman, etc…) to the 12 priests, the Police Chief (Direk Jerry O’Hara) and the Mayor’s bodyguard (Gio Marcelo). Just when the briefing was about to start, Andre Tiangco walked in! He was able to make it!
We were briefed by Ma’am Ethel on what would happen during the press con. Instead of the usual press conferences with a long presidential table where the stars are usually seated and being asked questions by the members of the media who are seated in chairs opposite the stars, the large number of artists will be divided into groups of composed of about 5 to 6 artists. The groups have designated tables with chairs labeled with their individual names. About 4 to 5 members of the media are assigned to join the artists.
We were then briefed on common points that we would emphasize to the media so that we would be “singing the same tune”.
I was assigned in a table with Albert Martinez, Tonton Gutierrez, Lito Pimentel and Tony Manalo. We had 3 members of the media with us.
After a while, the members of the media slowly moved from one table to another to be able to have exclusive interviews with the other stars. As this happened, clips of testimonies of some personalities ( Father Jess Manabat, some artists and production staff) and teasers of the coming episodes were being shown on a 47 inches flat tv.
The presscon was done after about two hours. The management provided a coaster for the artists and staff who wanted to visit the wake of President Cory Aquino at the Manila Cathedral. I did not join as I still have office the following day.
As I was driving home, I was thankful to God for another showbiz experience, my first ever encounter with movie journalists!
