SENATE President Juan Miguel Zubiri yesterday said Filipinos “should come together” in support of the country and its tourist destinations in the wake of the video fiasco over the Department of Tourism’s new campaign slogan.
Zubiri said Filipinos should allow the DOT to “correct these missteps, reflect on what happened and improve its campaign going forward.”
He said it is time to move on after DDB Philippines, the ad agency that produced the video, owned up to its negligence and after the DOT terminated its contract with the ad agency.
“I believe that Secretary (Christina) Frasco and the Department had no ill intent in this mishap, but I nevertheless expect them to take this incident very seriously, and hold accountable those who have wronged the Filipino people and the tourist spots that were replaced with alien places,” Zubiri said in a statement.
He said the “harm” done to the country’s reputation “should be repaired immediately, which should go beyond producing a correct version of the controversial promotional video” after the DOT said it will stick with its new campaign slogan “Love the Philippines.”
Zubiri reiterated his call that all concerned agencies should work closely to improve the country’s tourism infrastructures “so we can bring into the country the much-needed billion tourism dollars.”
Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian earlier said terminating the contract of DDB Philippines over the new tourism campaign fiasco is “noteworthy” but added the DOT should make the ad agency accountable for using fake videos and photos of the country.
Gatchalian said DDB Philippines should be held liable for sending the wrong signal to the international community at a time when the Philippines is still recovering from COVID-19.
“It is crucial that the ad agency responsible for this lapse in judgment be held accountable as using fake videos and photos of the Philippines not only deceives the public but also undermines the integrity of our tourism industry,” Gatchalian said.
The new tourism campaign slogan by the DOT was bashed after it was discovered that DDB Philippines used non-original/stock videos which showed tourist attractions from other countries.
Sen. Manuel “Lito” Lapid offered a different tourism slogan that combines past catchy phrases with the new one to “pursue a better tourism campaign to attract more foreign and local tourists.”
He was referring to the “Wow: Philippines” slogan of former tourism secretary Richard Gordon and the “It’s More Fun in the Philippines” slogan of former secretaries Ramon Jimenez and Bernadette Romulo-Puyat.
“Whatever slogan is used, it is just one message. For me, we must join hands and pursue a better tourism campaign to attract more foreign and local tourists which I dubbed as “Wow, It’s More Fun! Love, the Philippines!” he said.
“But levity aside, one thing is clear, everyone is of one mind in working to push for a successful tourism industry that would not only help our economy but would also uplift the lives of many of our countrymen. Let us all move on from this matter and work together in making this campaign successful for our country,” he added.
Lapid said the “recent misunderstanding” in the Love the Philippines “mood video” should not be taken against Frasco who he said is working hard to reinvigorate the country’s tourism industry.
“I understand that this campaign is a long process and the launch was but a small step forward. But everyone who saw the launch knew that the journey was going in the right direction. Sec. Frasco and the DOT are on their way. We should all give them a chance to keep going,” Lapid said.
He added: “Sec. Frasco and the DOT have my full trust and confidence and I invite my countrymen to join me in expressing our support for them. If the DOT succeeds in their job, our whole county wins.”
