"Is the country really worth loving for?"

"Is the country really worth loving for?"

The recent shamble in the Department of Tourism shows that the tourism slogan “Love the Philippines” is a half baked kind of mess. 

Meant to replace the 11 year old slogan “It’s more fun in the Philippines”, this new tourism slogan may sound forceful as Secretary Frasco described it as a “call to action to every Filipino citizen to remember the beauty of our country, to honor our past, and to look forward to the future armed with the virtues, (and) values of being a Filipino.” 

Sounds ideal isn’t it? Especially that after the pandemic and tourists able to “return and savour the tropical setting the Philippines has to offer”, the slogan is perceived by many as a “demand”, “generic”, and “lacks the appeal” that “It’s More Fun in the Philippines” had. Besides, how come neighboring countries didn’t change their slogan? Thailand has its “Amazing Thailand”, or Malaysia with its “Malaysia, Truly Asia”, so why need to change the slogan? Some would even say Richard Gordon’s “Wow Philippines” should stay longer. 

And even commenters suggested that the tagline would have been better with a comma – Love, the Philippines – to show that the destination and its people have lots of love to give. 

However, this demand for ‘love’ arrived at a marketing plan that ended up degrading, instead of promoting, the country’s tourism product. It raises questions instead of praise, especially after the the two-minute video, produced by the advertising agency DDB Group Philippines as part of a six-month, P49.925-million consulting contract with the tourism department, which included stock footage of tourist destinations from Indonesia, Thailand, Switzerland and the United Arab Emirates. There would be no controversy if the ad agency uses local tourist spots like Cordillera, Bicol, Cebu, or even Metro Manila; but the use of stock footages featuring places from abroad, no matter how it was meant to be a “mood board” to excite “internal stakeholders” (in other words, an internal consumption), has mocked not just the client (that is, the tourism department) but the folk in using the foreign, rather than local for a reference.- That makes one senator call it “unsalvagable”, while a congressman described it as a “lazy job”. 

But that doesn't matter to Secretary Frasco, who believes the contract between the department and the ad agency was terminated with the latter "taking full responsibility for the 'unfortunate oversight'" and agreeing to "fully cooperate with the department in its investigation." She repeated that slogan several times during an event in Manila to defend it in the face of popular criticism. 

Yet despite being “resolved”, this “Frasco Fiasco” doesn’t stop as legislators urged to pause and rethink on the issue, especially that the campaign requires public funds to begin with only to found seeing the campaign as “unsalvagable”, “laughingstock”, and a “lazy job” as one advertising agency ruined a national project using stock videos from foreign countries for a “mood board”. Is dropping the ad agency enough to call it a day? Not at all- for even the recent statement from Apollo Quiboloy further fanned the flames of controversy as he himself who claims to be “son of god” is wanted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation for his crimes. 

Hence, will that fiasco really stop? For the government perhaps they may trying to “in order for the country to move on”, but not for the commoner who demands accountability as the slogan itself involves taxpayer money. 

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And, since this topic is about this goddamn slogan, it is true that people should "Love the Philippines," with all of its pristine beaches, beautiful wonders, culture and heritage, and people's laughter; but, for reality's sake, what kind of love in a time when inflation and indebtedness forced these very same people who smile in front of the camera to face everyday hardship as they buy expensive goods while earning lower wages? 40 pesos from an average laborer isn't even enough to sustain a family, let alone with rising prices of goods and services, which makes a real living wage necessary. To "love the Philippines" also means to recognize the unpleasant reality of a poor and oppressed country- all thanks to that goddamn system that cares about its own interest even at the expense of the suffering rest. It also reminds that of the paintings of Amorsolo that tends to romanticise rural life, smiling and having fun in a time when poverty and social injustice forced farmers and farmworkers to raise their bolos and fight for freedom in the countryside. 

 Call it a killjoy moment this hell of a kind note, but that’s the reality everyone faces with- for will people truly love the country when most chose to leave because of its ever-existing poverty? Thank the heavens that there are those who despite leaving abroad doesn’t agree to that kind of thought of leaving one’s homeland for they have families to begin with; but instead the best thing to do is to seek truth, and in seeking truth means to expose the oppression, bloodshed, and injustice that’s prevailing in the country. Such truths would say makes one willing to fight for resisting, even at the expense of one’s life is itself out of loving. 

Hence, to cut this thought short, saying that the country is worth loving is not just because of its pristine beaches, mountains, and the smile of the people tourists should encounter. To love the Philippines means to fight for it, to fight for the right and willing to march into hell with a heavenly cause. Sorry to use “The Impossible Dream” for this, for the fact that the slogan sounds obliging each and everyone to love, then it is quite difficult to love a country that’s worth loving for.