Pitch in the time of Trillanes.

I've been meaning to write this entry but never really found the time to do so (what else is new?).  I was caught up in week-long pitch preparations and it's been one of the most grueling pitches I've been on because (1) I just came back from Singapore and had to catch up on the work; and (2) it was a major must-win one. The pressure was both regional and local in nature but whichever way you look at it, I was fortunate enough to have experienced some form of mentoring from P, our regional planning director, who's been stewarding brands for this account for five years. 

Pitch day didn't start out promising. The weather was terrible and we had a pretty good chance of getting rained (or flooded in). D, our group account director was already checking with the client if they would like to have the pitch over at the office (their office was located in an area that transforms itself into the Pasig River whenever it poured).

Ever the optimist, I felt good. Despite some last minute birthing pains and with only five hours of sleep had in two days, I was pretty wired (must have been the mugfuls of coffee I drank like water that entire week).  The presentation went well, clients were laughing with us and seemed to enjoy the whole thing. They loved the strategy, and the work was fun and straightforward. Of course, whilst all this was happening, unbeknownst to us, Sen. Trillanes and his band of renegade soldiers walked out of his hearing and marched on Ayala towards The Peninsula (talk about a PR nightmare!). The regional clients were billeted at The Pen and I'm not sure if they actually sat through the other agency's presentation that afternoon.

Sen. Trillanes had my sympathy during the Oakwood mutiny (never mind that I wasn't able to celebrate my birthday in 2003 as a result of their takeover) because he came across as a young, idealistic solider who was earnest to expose corruption in the government. He was elected to the Senate without the same political machinery as most running officials have, a sign that people were looking for new faces in government that they could trust. Unfortunately, it is an opportunity and privilege that he misused. Pucha naman, you could have made all the changes in the world as a senator, and you pulled off the same, cheap old trick? 

I went home that day dazed and satiated from the delicious, well-deserved lunch that our team leisurely enjoyed. I slept on the couch with the television on, unmindful of the updates about the revolt. When I woke up, the President has declared a curfew and the media covering the event were arrested. 

Naghihintay sa susunod na kabanata. Alas-nuwebe ng gabi, Maynila.