SUPPORT. Department of Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia-Frasco gets a hug from her mother, Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia who, along with 15 other governors in the Visayas sign a manifesto expressing their full support to the slogan, Love the Philippines, and the effort to rebrand the country's tourism industry, in this July 11, 2023 photo. The Provincial Board Members League of the Philippines also issued a statement supporting the new slogan. (Photo courtesy of the Cebu Capitol PIO)
CEBU CITY – The governors in the 16 provinces in the Visayas and the association of provincial board members want the Department of Tourism (DOT) to continue the rebranding of the country’s tourism industry through the “Love the Philippines” slogan.
Undersecretary Terence Calatrava, presidential assistant in the Visayas, led the 16 Visayan governors in expressing their full support to DOT Secretary Christina Garcia-Frasco’s rebranding effort in a manifesto.
“It is our firm belief that the DOT poses no other interest than to bolster the tourism framework of the country despite the setbacks and adjustments that we, as a nation, had to, unfortunately, encounter during the pandemic,” their manifesto released on Tuesday said.
The governors, Calatrava said, encourage every Filipino, including the critics, to be “one with the mission and vision of the DOT – to be our beloved country’s envoy of goodwill, our country’s ambassadors of showing many integral ways of why and how we Love the Philippines.”
Their statement came amid the controversial production of the slogan’s audio-visual presentation by a local agency that allegedly used stock video materials.
Apart from Calatrava, Governors Fredenil Hernaez Castro (Capiz), Rhodora Cadiao (Antique), Arthur Defensor Jr. (Ilo-Ilo), JC Rahman Nava (Guimaras), Erico Aristotle Aumentado (Bohol), Gwendolyn Garcia (Cebu), Jake Vincent Villa (Siquijor), Manuel Sagarbarria (Negros Oriental), Gerard Roger Espina (Biliran), Ben Evardone (Eastern Samar), Carlos Jericho Petilla (Leyte), Edwin Marino Ongchuan (Northern Samar), Damian Mercado (Southern Leyte), and Sharee Ann Tan (Samar) signed the manifesto.
Meanwhile, the Provincial Board Members League of the Philippines (PBMLP) said the new slogan offers “a more substantial tourism experience to all local and foreign tourists.”
In its one-page statement of support, the PBMLP, through its national president, Ramon Vicente Bautista, said they support Frasco’s prompt and appropriate measures as it terminates its contract with DDB Philippines, demanding accountability from this self-confessed oversight.
The controversy, the board members said, “undeservingly embarrassed” not only the DOT but the country, as a whole, that “prides itself as a tourism powerhouse in Southeast Asia.”
“In addition, this should not overshadow and discount the excellence, great work, and idealistic vision that Secretary Frasco has done for the department and their industry which contributed 17 percent to the whole country’s GDP (gross domestic product) in 2022,” the statement reads.
They urged critics that instead of centering their narrative in pointing to who is liable, they should rally behind the country’s best interest. (PNA)
