Two days after Ondoy (international name: Ketsana) flooded the Metro Manila, many advertisers and ad agencies opened their doors, even though not all of their employees were prepared to return to work.
Agencies like Lowe and Y&R said that a few of their staff were still stranded in flooded areas, but otherwise, it was a normal work day.
Ogilvy & Mather’s Managing Director Peachy Pacquing-Todino gave its staff the day off, instructing them use the time "to deal with their situation."
Publicis Manila made sure all employees were safe and accounted for, albeit not at their desks. Chairman Matec Villanueva said her agency was setting up financial assistance for those whose were homes were severely damaged.
Likewise, DDB Philippines and its sister companies are staying home today. The typhoon flooded their basement, and building administrators cut off the power to the whole building. ECD Teeny Gonzales said its teams were working from home until the repairs were done.
Underground Logic, too, experienced drainage problems but said damage was minor. Most of its staff went back to work today, although a few were still trapped in Angono, Rizal.
Saatchi House and adobo magazine’s office on Chino Roces Extension suffered no water damage, although adobo’s downstairs neighbors, Repertory Philippines, Steps and Mon and Abby Jimenez’s new venture Better Dog, were all wet.
Ace Saatchi & Saatchi’s Matt Seddon said its employees suffered no injuries, however he could not say the same for some of their cars and homes.
At least three members of the adobo team have been displaced by the floods, so Angel Guerrero, publisher and editor-in-chief, called it a non-working holiday. (Just the same, four of us are at our desks now.)
One of those who is not doing business as usual is Globe Telecom, which is conducting relief operations today for its employees. Ten people in its marketing department were trapped or made homeless by Ondoy, and more from other departments suffered as well.
A number of the crew and staff of sister production outfits Provill and Media Circuit had to be rescued, too. Boss lady Lorna Tabuena sent out search and rescue parties yesterday to Montalban, Cainta and Marikina.
As of this morning, she reports that the last of the missing employees had been found and declared safe.
SMART Communications suffered one major casualty. One its founders, Dave Fernando, died when a wall collapsed on him at his residence in Loyola Grand Villas last Saturday. In an internal memo, the company announced that Fernando’s remains lay at the Christ the King Church in Green Meadows subdivision, Quezon City.
So far, these were the agencies and advertisers that responded to adobo’s inquiries. For those who haven’t replied, we can only assume no news is good news.
Graphic design by Team Manila.
