President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said Friday he still trusted Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco and remained confident that the Department of Tourism’s new campaign “Love the Philippines” will be “as successful as they hoped for” despite the fiasco over its campaign video.
In an ambush interview, Mr. Marcos was asked by reporters if he still trusts Frasco after the video blunder, in which the ad agency DDB Philippines contracted by the DOT for the campaign used clips of scenery from other countries to compose a “mood video.”
“Yes absolutely, no question. I spoke to her (Frasco). I have been actually (in touch with her) since all of these came to the fore,” said the President.
“She moved fast in that she terminated the contracts that were in question. She has also since put under review all of the other contracts that were in the pipeline. So in my opinion she has it under control. She knows what to do,” he added of Frasco.
DOT has been under fire from netizens since the release of its new campaign slogan and video.
Netizens were quick to point out that the video used different stock footage from other countries such as Thailand, Indonesia, Switzerland, and the United Arab Emirates, instead of using clips of the country’s own areas.
“Love the Philippines” garnered interest from international news outlets, prompting DOT to hastily terminate its contract with DDB Philippines and initiate an investigation.
DBB Philippines apologized for the incident, noting that the use of stock videos was for internal purposes only. But the mood video was posted on social media and the DOT’s official website before it was taken down.
“We sincerely hope this will not diminish the genuine love and appreciation the stakeholders and the public have been showing for the ‘Love the Philippines’ campaign,” DDB Philippines said.