Despite the shambles, the Department of Tourism is sticking with its “Love the Philippines” campaign, which hit a snag when the P49 million project’s advertising agency was abruptly fired after it was revealed that it had used stock footage from other countries for the promotional video.

During her speech at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay City, Tourism Secretary Maria Christina Frasco made multiple references to the “Love the Philippines” campaign. However, despite mentioning the new slogan at least four times and using the word “love” at least 12 times, she did not directly address the video controversy. The stage prominently displayed the “Love the Philippines” logo throughout the event.

“Love the Philippines! Who loves the Philippines? We all love the Philippines, and what better way to demonstrate the deep love that both Filipinos and foreigners have for the Philippines,” Frasco said at the start of her speech.

“The Philippines is open and ready to tell the world the Filipinos’ story because there are just so many reasons to love the Philippines,” she said.

Furthermore, she told the audience that, “Needless to say, our country is beautiful. And this incontrovertible fact has been reaffirmed to us by the world, which awarded the Philippines in the World Travel Awards as the world’s leading beach destination, the world’s leading dive destination, and Asia’s leading tourist attraction. You’re welcome to clap for the Philippines. Love the Philippines,”

She ended her speech by declaring, “I’m fully confident that if all of us look into the depths of our hearts, we will find in each and every one of our fellow Filipinos that burning pride of place for the Philippines and the deep love of country that will propel the recovery of Philippine tourism and allow our country to claim its position as Asia’s tourism powerhouse. Daghang kaayong salamat kaninyong tanan. Love the Philippines!”

After her speech, Frasco was promptly escorted out of the venue. Reporters pursued her to an ambush interview asking if the Tourism Department would keep “Love the Philippines,” to which Frasco replied briefly, “I think that is evident,” before entering the elevator.

The DOT announced on Monday that it was terminating its contract with Doyle, Dane, and Bernbach (DDB) Group Philippines, which created the “Love the Philippines” campaign and logo. The advertising agency stated that it accepts full responsibility for the “unfortunate oversight” and will fully cooperate with the DOT’s investigation.

The controversy does not end there, however, as the Tourism Department also drew criticism for featuring alleged sex trafficker Apollo Quiboloy on their Facebook page when they thanked various travel websites for their support of their new slogan.

Sen. Go declared support for Sec. Frasco

Senator Bong Go declared support for Secretary Frasco and the tourism campaign despite the controversy.

In a statement, Senator Go said, “Let us not lose sight of what the campaign is really all about to love the Philippines and share the love that Filipinos are known for,”

“Being a member of the Senate committee on tourism, we must work together to correct any mistake, improve our efforts to promote our country, and give our support to the efforts being done by the present administration in uplifting our economy and the lives of the poor,” he added.

“I laud their immediate actions in addressing the issue that the promotional video has caused and in ensuring that public funds are not wasted. Instead of dwelling on the problem, let us work together to provide solutions,” Go said.

Ph a beautiful country with or without slogan- Sen. Villanueva

Senator Joel Villanueva believes that the nation must move past the controversy and that the Tourism Department should concentrate its efforts on regaining travelers’ confidence and boosting both domestic and foreign tourism.

“It’s truly saddening that a project that is supposed to be used to promote the country has been filled with controversies—even getting the attention of international media. The Philippines is a beautiful country with or without a slogan,” he said.

He then reiterated his earlier call for a “whole-of-government approach” in promoting the tourism sector, which, he said, includes lowering the cost of travel through the improvement of transport services, skills training for industry workers, and aiding micro, small, and medium enterprises in the production of local goods and products.

Photo: Philippine News Agency