“Wow, It’s more fun! Love, the Philippines!” slogan na lang – Sen. Lapid

NI NOEL ABUEL

Para wala nang gulo at tuluyang matigil ang gulo at huwag nang pagtalunan kung anong slogan ang dapat gamitin ng Department of Tourism (DOT) ay dapat na pag-isahin na lamang mga dati at kasalukuyang slogan ng ahensya.

Sinabi ni Senador Lito Lapid na kung dating si Tourism Sec. Dick Gordon ay may  “Wow Philippines” habang si Sec. Ramon Jimenez at Sec. Bernadette Romulo-Puyat ay mayroong “It’s More Fun in the Philippines” at ngayon Sec. Frasco sa “Love the Philippines”, dapat na gawin itong “Wow, It’s more fun! Love, the Philippines!”. 

“Pagsama-samahin natin ‘yan para mas lumakas ang turismo dito sa Pilipinas,” ani Lapid.

Aniya, ang di pagkakaunawaan sa totoong kaukulan ng tinawag na “mood video” para sa “LOVE THE PHILIPPINES” campaign na ginawa ng DDB Group Philippines ay hindi dapat makasira sa ilang buwang magandang trabahong ginawa ni Frasco at ng kanilang mga naging ka-partner dito.

 Sa panig naman ni Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri, sinabi nitong dapat na maging paalala sa DOT ang kapalpakan ng DDB Philippines at hindi na dapat itong maulit.

“I believe that Secretary 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,” sabi nito.

“The harm to our reputation as a rising global tourism power should be repaired immediately, which should go beyond producing a correct version of the controversial promotional video. The DOT leadership’s call to stick with their new campaign slogan is duly noted, but this should not be the end-all of the corrective process,” dagdag pa nito.

Apela pa ni Zubiri sa Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Department of Transportation (DOTr), at ng Department of Health (DOH)  na makipagtulungan sa DOT upang mapahusay ang tourism infrastructures ng bansa upang makabangon ang ekonomiya ng bansa.

“The success of the “Love the Philippines” campaign will also live and die with the cooperation and collaboration of all government stakeholders so that our public transport, our connectivity, our health protocols, our logistics, and our people will be ready to deliver and accept the love our tourism deserves.  This is the meat of the daunting task that the DOT needs to focus on as it buckles down to work to address their shortcomings,” paliwanag pa nito.

“We need to support the DOT and our tourism stakeholders even more this time, as we need to infuse into our country the needed billions of dollars brought in by tourists from all over the world. And we should refrain from damaging further our image as a rising global tourist destination,” sabi pa ni Zubiri.