Hi! I am Nic Gabunada Jr. — welcome to my little corner of the internet.
I am a probinsiyano who worked hard, did well, and eventually prospered in the Metro. My family and childhood friends call me William, though most people know me as Nic.
From Padada to the Metro
I was born and raised in Padada, Davao del Sur, a small rural town in Mindanao where my father, a migrant from Moalboal, Cebu, and my mother, herself the daughter of Cebuano settlers, built a life. School was always important to me, and I pushed myself to excel — first in elementary, then in high school. When it came time for college, I chose Ateneo de Davao, where I thrived academically but also discovered something else: activism.
Those were turbulent years. I was once arrested during an anti–martial law demonstration and briefly detained on charges of subversion. Thankfully, the charges were eventually dismissed. That experience didn’t stop me from pursuing bigger goals. Right after graduation, I stayed on at Ateneo de Davao to teach Mathematics, then went to Manila for postgraduate studies at the Opus Dei–run Center for Research and Communication (CRC), which later became part of the University of Asia and the Pacific (UA&P). While studying at CRC, I taught Economics at the University of the Philippines Manila — the classroom, it turns out, was my first real training ground for explaining complex things simply.
A Career Built on Data and Media
After CRC, I joined Pulse Research Group, then the leading market research firm in the country, where I rose to associate research director and wrote “The Filipino Consumer,” a column in BusinessWorld. After Pulse, I had a brief stint at the Pharmaceutical and Health Care Association of the Philippines, doing public relations work for the association of pharma companies. Then in 1990, I was recruited into ABS-CBN during its post–martial law resurgence, heading research and business analysis at a time when there was no “social” media or “mainstream” media — there was just media. In 1997, I was promoted to Head of Sales and Marketing. I retired from ABS-CBN in August 2005 and took on various consulting jobs, until 2012, when I returned to full-time work with Omnicom Media Group (OMG) as CEO of its Philippine operations.
Through every role, one conviction stayed constant: data is only useful if it becomes a decision. Research has to be actionable — you sell the recommendation, implement it, and measure the results.
The 2016 Campaign
I retired from corporate life on May 1, 2015, but it wasn’t to rest. I wanted to help prepare for what many of us from Mindanao had long dreamed of — a chance for someone from our region to finally lead the country. That someone was then–Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte.
I was part of the small team that crafted his tri-media campaign. What happened next reshaped Philippine politics: the campaign harnessed the power of social media in a way never seen before, and for the first time, a Mindanaoan became president. Much of what I learned inside that campaign — the strategy, the improvisation, the lessons — I am now writing down on this blog.
What I Do Now
Retirement turned out to be a second career. Today I lead LouderPH, an advertising, public relations, and reputation management firm. Alongside that, I manage my personal investments and take on consulting work across various industries — media strategy, content production, mobile marketing, farm ventures, AV post-production, and real estate. I also offer pro bono support to friends setting up businesses, church groups launching communications platforms, and public servants running campaigns grounded in real service.
What You’ll Find Here
This site began as a running journal of observations, lessons, and stories collected over the years. It has grown into something a little more deliberate. If you are a marketer, PR practitioner, political strategist, student of Philippine politics, or simply curious, here is the map:
Inside the campaign war room. First-person accounts of how modern Philippine campaigns are actually run — starting with my ten-part series on the 2016 campaign, drawn from my own notes and talks. Begin with Part 1: Why Social Media Was the Real Tipping Point of the 2016 Philippine Elections
Philippine politics and governance. Analysis of the forces shaping the country today — from the many faces of corruption and its cost to the economy to the shifting alignments of parties and movements.
The media industry, from the inside. I spent decades in Philippine media, and I write about it with the benefit of having been in the room — including my years at ABS-CBN during its post–martial law resurgence.
Crisis communications. Case studies on how institutions respond when things go wrong — and what they should have done instead.
Mindanao, memory, and culture. The Padada boy never left me. I write about the world I grew up in — foraging the shoreline at low tide, the backbreaking work of making copra, and the people who shaped me, my parents most of all.
The List
Once upon a time, in my blog Wednesdays with Nic, I made a list of things I wanted to do even when work got busy. I’ve since ticked off a few:
- Drove my kids to school
- Quit smoking
- Scanned old family photos
- Taught my dogs a trick or two
- Produced a movie
- (Re)started a blog (this one!)
Still on the list: a road trip from Manila to Ilocos and Cagayan; a road trip from Manila to Davao; building a library-museum in my hometown of Padada; and, improving my photography skills.
The Most Fulfilling Project of All
Looking back, I realize how far my journey has taken me — from Padada to the Metro, from a boyhood of modest means to a front-row seat (and sometimes a hand on the wheel) in a defining chapter of our nation’s history.
These days, I’m intentional about giving back—continuing to help good people build meaningful things. But more than anything, I’m looking forward to spending time with family, especially my grandkids. That, to me, is the most fulfilling project of all.