Senators thumb down new PHL tourism slogan

At least three senators on Wednesday criticized the Department of Tourism’s (DOT) newly-launched "Pilipinas Kay Ganda" (Philippines So Beautiful) campaign, saying it was unimaginative and not well thought out. “If you ask me, I think somebody was drinking on the job and I don’t think they thought this out very well," Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri said during Wednesday’s Senate session. Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago, in an interview, said the slogan ought to be changed.

“Let’s think of something else. Let’s start some neurons in our brains working," the feisty lawmaker said. “Their neurons are not working, they’re not on full eight cylinders, they’re working on two cylinders." Zubiri said the DOT made the wrong move by coming out with a slogan in Tagalog, the country’s native language. “Whose genius idea was it to come up with a slogan that is utilizing our native tongue? Who are we marketing the Philippines to? Locals or foreigners?" he said. Sen. Loren Legarda, for her part, said there was probably no need to change the old slogan, “Wow Philippines," which was initiated by former Senator Richard Gordon during his stint as DOT secretary. “Sometimes the problem with our country, with our people, with our government... is that we always try to reinvent ourselves. We fixed what doesn’t need fixing, assuming that there is a need to be fixed," she said. Santiago, meanwhile, suggested that the new slogan be translated to English so that foreigners may understand the slogan. She likewise suggested that the country find its niche, noting that it has many competitors in terms of tourism in Southeast Asia. She said the Philippines cannot just say it is a beautiful country because everybody claims the same. Legarda said they plan to ask the DOT during budget deliberations how much they plan to spend for the new marketing campaign. - KBK, GMANews.TV