nfographic mapping anti-Marcos movement skills to marketing: audience segments, trusted networks, and mobilizing messages

From Activist to Adman — How the Anti-Marcos Movement Made Me a Better Marketer

July 23, 2026

Key Takeaways: Some of the most valuable marketing training happens outside marketing –mine happened in the anti Marcos movement Every flyer and every rally had to land: that was audience segmentation before anyone called it that Distribution mattered as much as content — trusted networks were our channels The goal was never just to inform but to mobilize; that’s virality by another name Look behind history’s movements and you’ll find someone who understood audience, message and reach People are sometimes surprised when I tell them where I got my most valuable marketing lessons. It wasn’t a classroom. It wasn’t a boardroom. It was the Anti-Marcos movement — in the streets, in secret meetings, in the business of moving people when the stakes were life and

Infographic showing a 2x3 crisis response grid based on incident intensity (high or low) and market sentiment (negative, neutral, or positive): Mobilize, Monitor, Amplify, Watch, Observe, Engage.

Data Is the New Oil — But Discernment Is the Refinery

July 6, 2026

There’s a moment in every crisis room I’ve been in — and I’ve been in more than a few — when someone opens a laptop, pulls up a dashboard of real-time social media data, and says something like: “We’re trending.” And then everyone looks at each other, because trending could mean anything. It could mean you’ve gone viral for doing something right. It could mean a false rumor is currently racing ahead of the truth at the speed of a share button. It could mean a journalist with a large following just posted something that is factually incorrect, emotionally charged, and already spreading fast. Data tells you that something is happening. Discernment tells you what to do about it. This is the distinction I’ve spent

Abstract illustration of a glowing signal cutting through scattered noise, representing a clear narrative breaking through misinformation during a crisis.

When the Casino Is on Fire and Twitter Thinks It’s ISIS: A Crisis Manager’s Playbook

July 1, 2026

It was past midnight on June 2, 2017, when a lone gunman walked into Resorts World Manila, set fire to casino tables and slot machines, stole chips, and then took his own life. Thirty-eight people died — almost entirely from the stampede and smoke inhalation in the chaos that followed. Within hours, a journalist who billed herself as a terrorism expert reported that an ISIS faction had claimed responsibility for the attack. Her report went viral. It wasn’t ISIS. It was a debt-ridden former civil servant named Jessie Javier Carlos who had run out of options and made the most catastrophic of choices. But by the time the facts caught up with the story, the narrative had already taken on a life of its own

Black-and-white photo of Nicanor "Momoy" Gabunada Sr. and his bus conductor leaning against the front of their passenger bus, number 208.

The Bicycle I Never Got, and the Lesson That Mattered More

June 21, 2026

There was a year in grade school when my father promised me a bicycle if I topped my class. I studied like that bicycle was already mine. I never got it. What I remember, decades later, is that the promise itself — made by a man who probably didn’t have the money to keep it — taught me more than the bike ever could have. That was my Papang. Nicanor “Momoy” Gabunada Sr. left Cebu as a young man chasing a better future in Mindanao. He drove for a living, raised a family, and spent most of his life making sure we had food on the table — even when that wasn’t guaranteed. This Father’s Day, I want to tell you why a man who

You Can’t Teach Old Dogs New Tricks

May 13, 2026

The saying, “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks,” is often used as an excuse to avoid new approaches or trying something different. But in the dog world, this is not true as dogs of almost any age can still learn new tricks. Animal training experts confirm that dogs of nearly any age are capable of learning. The Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan offer numerous examples. These examples show how even older dogs’ behaviors can be successfully modified. It’s the human animal that invented this excuse for stopping to learn after a certain age. “I’m too old to change“ – is simply an excuse to avoid the hassle of leaning or experimenting with something new. I’ve seen this firsthand with staff members and officers

Manginhas: The Coastal Foraging Activity of My Youth

May 6, 2026

I remember manginhas from my youth. It feels like a lifetime has passed since I last did this simple yet rewarding activity. This coastal tradition is deeply rooted in my province’s way of life. For me, manginhas was more than a pastime; it was a direct connection to the sea and its abundance. What is Manginhas? The Riches of the Low Tide Manginhas is the local term for coastal foraging. It involves going to the beach or shallow areas during low tide. We collect exposed marine life entirely by hand. This included various shellfish, small fish, and seaweed left behind by the receding water. I fully enjoyed this activity for many reasons. First, it meant spending a good portion of the day on the beach.

My First Exposure to the Media Industry

April 30, 2026

In my youth, back in Padada, I had a lot of odd jobs – specially during the time when Papang was bedridden because of his accident. At that time, we all had to pull our weight. We also had to figure out ways to earn money. It was during this turbulent time that I had my first exposure to the media industry – specifically, print media. Of all the things I was throughout my life, my first media-adjacent job was as a Newspaper Boy. The late 60’s was a different time. Our town was more than two hours away from the city by bus. As a result, the day’s newspapers arrived at the town’s lone distributor shortly after lunch. This stall was the only place

Selling Homegrown Vegetables: A Lesson in Resourcefulness

April 22, 2026

A Childhood of Resourcefulness Growing up, money was difficult, and resourcefulness was key to making ends meet in Padada. I often worked odd jobs like shining shoes or selling newspapers. However, one thing I will always be grateful for is that we had a large backyard. This meant we had land to make the most of. The Value of Fresh, Homegrown Produce In our backyards, we grew vegetables. We had some malunggay, alugbati, camote tops, okra, and eggplants. These veggies were easy to grow and were our staples. Whatever we harvested, we cooked and ate. We also share some with our neighbors. That access to fresh produce, literally at our doorstep, is something I definitely miss now that I am living in the metropole. Turning

Mangopras: The Backbreaking, But Rewarding, Process of Making Copra

April 15, 2026

The process of making copra from coconuts, popularly known as mangopras, is a backbreaking process. I know how demanding the work is because I used to do it many years ago, The process of turning the coconut fruit—which is technically a drupe, not a nut—into a sellable product is what we call mangopras. This term mangopras encompasses all the steps involved. The Seven Steps of Copra Production The complete process of turning a coconut into copra involves seven or eight primary, sequential steps: Sungkit (Harvesting): Hooking the coconut from the tree using a panungkit (a long, sectional bamboo pole). Tapok (Gathering): Collecting the fallen coconuts into a heap. Hakot (Transporting): Bringing the gathered coconuts to the processing area, known as the koprasan. Preparasyon (Preparation): This

Mananggi – it’s all about Corn, and One Neighbor’s Generosity

April 8, 2026

For most Filipinos, the staple food was rice; for us, rice is a luxury. Corn was our staple. In my childhood, pre-1972, we only ate rice during very special occasions, and when we did, it was either lugaw or champorado. Milled corn was our main source of carbohydrates; our only food, in fact, on most days. I remember our neighbor, Nong Peping, had a plot of corn right behind our neighborhood’s cluster of houses. It was his sister’s land, but he was the one who farmed corn on it. He got ⅔ of the harvest, while his sister got the other ⅓. Nong Peping told us that this sharing was fair, and is actually the standard practice in all landlord-tenant relations. When the corn

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