The charge against PNP Chief Alan Purisima reminds me of a Reputation Management case that I handled years ago. I volunteered to handle the case which I consider to be my flagship PR experience. On March 1, 1989, a powerful Senator charged that then retiring Vice Chief of Staff (and hero of the Edsa Revolution) Gen. Antonio Sotelo was building an Ph 8 million MANSION. Where did he get the money (the Senator asked, implying that Gen Sotelo was corrupt and had amassed unexplained wealth). What General Sotelo and I did is a long story.... a Reputation Management team effort like no other. Let me just quote parts of the Postscript column of Federico Pascual, Jr., then editor of the Phil Daily Inquirer. You can check it out....PDI, Monday, March 27, 1989. Heres one soldier who did not cower in fear but instead struck back at.... the chairman of the powerful Senate Committee on defense and security. He said The Senator uses his parliamentary immunity in making malicious, libelous and reckless statements against members of the military without due regard for their reputation as well as that of their families. Aside from giving his side to media, Sotelo bought print space so he could manage better his replies. I seldom read statements published as paid ads, but the classic Sotelo Series caught my eye mainly because they are to the point... If they are false statements, it should be easy for (the Senator) to demolish them considering that he has the resources and the staff to do it. The general said the house in question was not being built in Ayala-Alabang as claimed by (the Senator) but in a modest section of Alabang Hills subdivision. He added that the house was not worth P8 million, but budgeted only for P1.6 million. He also produced the building permit and the receipts for construction materials to show that the declared owners were the general and his wife. When a columnist said he had a real estate broker who wanted to buy the mansion for P2 million (with a 10 percent commission going to the columnist), Sotelo fired back I accept the offer. The columnist and his broker friend did not come across. Pressing his information blitz, Sotelo published his statement of income, taxes paid, family expenses, assets and liabilities from 1973 to 1988. He said his net worth as of December 1988 was P685,750. And he said in big, bold print: WE DARE (THE SENATOR) TO DO THE SAME. (The Senator) seems to have found his match. Note how a provoked Sotelo has been pursuing his counter attack. Were waiting for (The Senator) to refute Sotelo point-by-point and to publish his own financial statement. (The Senator) must not run away. Who is right and upright? That. we leave to our readers. .... In the end, Gen Sotelo succeeded to show that the frugal and modest P 1.6 million house he had dreamed to retire on with his family was the fruit of his many years of savings. He could no longer change the fact that his honor and reputation had been unfairly tarnished; he could no longer remove the pains and hurts suffered by his family; he could not change certain harsh realities in our democratic society whose constitution it was his sworn duty to protect and uphold as an officer of the Armed Forces. But in the remaining months of his active service, he continued to contribute his humble share in building a stronger house for democracy, and for freedom with responsibility in our country. Retired General Antonio E. Sotelo, hero of the Edsa revolution who convinced his men to fly their helicopters and land at Camp Aguinaldo to join General F V Ramos and then Defense Secretary J P Enrile, in defiance of the order of Pres Marcos, is my townmate, a fellow Claveriano (Cagayan). A God-fearing, respectable Ilokano. May his tribe increase! (Sorry Tony, I did not ask your permission to run this on FB, hehe.) Any resemblance that this case has with the case of PNP Chief Purisima could be purely coincidental?
Posted on: Mon, 06 Oct 2014 10:00:16 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015