SUBIC BAY FREEPORT — Margot Torres has stepped down as the Philippine Advertising Congress (PAC) chairperson as she led the turnover of the chairmanship to Philippine Daily Inquirer (PDI) President Alexandra Prieto-Romualdez for the next advertising congress in 2011.

Pepito Olarte, PDI vice president for advertising, said the venue for the 22nd PAC has yet to be discussed and decided upon.

“But we are looking forward to organizing the next Ad Congress. It’s going to be very exciting,” he said.

At least 1,000 delegates attended the Araw Awards on Saturday night, the culmination of the 21st PAC, which opened on Nov. 18.

The congress, which was moved from its original venue in Baguio, gathered some 3,500 delegates from all over the country. The shift from Baguio to Subic was due to the typhoon that battered the country recently and has left the roads that lead to Baguio impassable.

With the program Brand Aid, organizers donated the proceeds from the congress to the victims of typhoon Ondoy, including the rehabilitation of the afflicted areas.

According to Charmaine Canillas, chair of the Advertising Board of the Philippines and vice president for advertising and promotions of Petron Corp., the P1.3 million generated by ticket sales was donated to the Philippine National Red Cross chapter in Baguio.

Baguio City Mayor Peter Ray Bautista who was on hand during the opening of the Ad Congress received the check from Canillas.

Canillas said the recent disaster struck a chord in the advertising industry’s heart. It “helped the industry refocus its efforts in communicating positivism rather than purely commercial undertakings,” she said.

“Despite the sudden change in venue, we can still look at this as a positive thing. And in the end, it worked out well for everybody. We’re here to celebrate creativity, but we have also been able to contribute to our fellow countrymen,” Torres said.