Three More Who Have Gone On

Three PR practitioners I knew have just gone on-- Jose "Joe" Orosa, Enrique  "Iking"  Santos and Benedicto "Ben" Figueroa.  

Strictly speaking, Joe was not a PR person: PR was not his business, but he was what a PR person ought to be, bright, rigorous, honest, upright,  and committed to others. He died a few days  ago. He owned and ran a big carpet manufacturing company, and later a rattan furniture business. He was a Client of mine, who became  a friend. Joe was quite simply one of the finest human beings I have ever met. He was utterly devoted to his children. When he spoke it was all to be sure you and your family were okay, and when you spoke, it was as if your words were going to be some of the most important he would ever hear.  He and his beautiful  first wife,  Ciel, would invite us to their lovely home. Rich people, the good ones, work ever so hard, and radiate inner beauty with their simple ways. 

I wrote about Mang Iking a few months ago. My estimation of him never wavered: he was a PR person whose contributions to PR practice, particularly in  airline PR and crisis management, still have to be examined by scholars. As a journalist, he was hailed as a craftsman and as a mentor.

I met Ben Figueroa in the early 60s, when we were starting out at Ace-Compton  (Advertising). He was very bright, often discussing existentialism with Triccie Cepeda. Years later we found ourselves at JWT, and counterparts on the Pepsi Cola account, he in advertising and I in PR. Ben was the brainy type;  you would think he was bland, but he  was really a gentle nice person. He headed Lexington International Public Relations,  Inc. years after I left it. A few years ago, he migrated to the U.S., and died  earlier this month in New York.

I remember  these three kind men with esteem and affection.