Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco —PHOTO FROM DOT FACEBOOK PAGE
Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco on Thursday reiterated that the government had not made any payment to DDB Philippines, the advertising agency behind the “Love the Philippines” campaign which sparked widespread outrage and made international headlines over a promotional video that used stock footage of tourist attractions in other countries.
Speaking to reporters during the launch of Hop-On, Hop-Off Manila, a bus tour that takes visitors around the capital’s cultural landmarks, Frasco said “not a single peso of government fund has been paid with the agency.”
But despite the termination of the DOT’s P49-million contract with DDB Philippines as a result of the video fiasco, the department appeared bent on retaining the “Love the Philippines” slogan, which had also drawn its own share of criticism supposedly for being unimaginative or sounding like a command rather than a charming pitch.
The Hop-On, Hop-Off buses presented for the launch at Bonifacio Shrine just outside Manila City Hall displayed the new campaign logo and slogan.
‘Heart of Filipino’
On Wednesday, in a speech delivered at a Pasay City forum, her first public appearance since the DDB controversy broke out, Frasco mentioned the tourism campaign slogan several times but did not dwell on the much-assailed video or on the ad firm’s public apology on July 4 over what it called “an unfortunate oversight.”
The “Love the Philippines” logo was also prominently displayed on the stage.
On Thursday, asked about the status of the DOT’s contract with DDB and whether the DOT is paying it for the continued use of the “Love” slogan and logo, Frasco replied: “’Love the Philippines’ reflects the heart of every Filipino (because) we all love the Philippines.”
“The circumstances of late has led the DOT to initiate termination proceedings on its contracted ad agency and I would just like to emphasize that not a single peso of government fund has been paid under the tourism branding campaign with said agency,” she added.
She did not entertain further questions from the media and ended the chance interview by saying “Thank you so much for your support. Salamat kaayo (Cebuano for ‘thank you very much’). Love the Philippines.”
Grateful for support
In a statement issued on Wednesday night, Frasco acknowledged the support that she and the DOT continued to receive from some lawmakers.
“I am deeply grateful for all the messages of support that have poured in reflecting that which we all hold in common: We all love the Philippines. We all genuinely desire our country’s success. The work under the Marcos administration to usher in a robust recovery of Philippine tourism continues,” she said.
Launched in partnership with the city government of Manila, the Hop-On, Hop Off project seeks to promote the city’s heritage sites, museums, and other tourist destinations both through the bus tour and a mobile app.
At P1,000 per person, the tour will cover nine sites: Robinsons Manila, Raja Sulayman, Rizal Park (Luneta), the National Museum, Malacañang, Manila City Hall, Escolta, Binondo (Chinatown) and Intramuros.
In 2022, the National Capital Region recorded a total of 5.3 million overnight tourists.
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Frasco says DOT will retain ‘Love the Philippines’ slogan