Addressing future communicators, Manila Electric Company (Meralco) Vice President and Head of Corporate Communications Joe R. Zaldarriaga emphasized the role of the youth in reshaping the Philippine communications landscape through ethics, innovation, and purpose-driven messaging.

Speaking during the final day of The Communications Olympiad, a national training and competition for communications, marketing, and public relations students, Zaldarriaga encouraged participants to embrace emerging digital platforms and tools while remaining grounded in responsible storytelling.

“We don’t just inform—we have the ability to transform,” said Zaldarriaga, who also chairs the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) Philippines. “To shape mindsets, influence attitudes, and move people toward a more conscious and responsible way of living.”

The three-day event, co-organized by IABC Philippines and the COMCO School of Communications, gathered students from universities across Metro Manila, CALABARZON, Tarlac, Bicol, the Cordilleras, Antique, and Iloilo City. The Olympiad aimed to build practical skills, instill professional values, and connect young communicators to the country’s top communications leaders.

Zaldarriaga underscored that while the tools of communication may evolve, the core values of the profession—clarity, truth, ethics, and purpose—must remain constant.

“You are not just the future. You are the now,” he said. “You are the hope of our profession. The ones who will ensure that communication in the Philippines remains grounded in the basics—clarity, purpose, and most crucially, ethics and truth.”

He added that young communicators are uniquely positioned to shape today’s narratives in ways that go beyond trends or virality. Their reach, creativity, and digital fluency give them a platform to inspire collective action, promote social awareness, and drive meaningful change.

Zaldarriaga also reiterated the importance of balancing innovation with responsibility. As communicators gain more tools to reach wider audiences, he said, the challenge is to ensure those tools are used to build trust, not distort it.

His message capped off a dynamic gathering that sought to elevate communications as a transformative force in society—one that can bridge understanding, inform with purpose, and empower with truth.

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