DOT mourns death of former tourism chief Mon Jimenez

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Tourism on Monday mourns the death of former tourism Secretary Ramon “Mon” Jimenez, who recently passed away. He was 64.

“On behalf of the officials and employees of the Department of Tourism (DOT), I would like to extend our sincerest condolences to the bereaved loved ones of former Tourism Secretary Ramon 'Mon' Jimenez, Jr. who recently passed away,” Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said in a statement.

Jimenez is known to be behind the country’s tourism slogan, “It’s more fun in the Philippines” which was launched by the DOT and BBDO Guerrero, one of the country’s most awarded advertising firms, in 2012.

For this, the DOT also pays tribute to his “immeasurable contributions” to the agency.

“The DOT family pays tribute to the immeasurable contributions of Secretary Jimenez who laid down the foundation for the country’s most famous tourism campaign, ‘It’s More Fun in the Philippines,’ which I have chosen to retain until now, and the DOT policies that helped shape the National Tourism Development Program (NTDP) for 2016-2022,” Puyat said.

“Today, we mourn the loss of Mon Jimenez but we will be forever grateful to him for the growth of the tourism sector, and for promoting the Philippines as a place that is wonderful, joyous and fun,” she added.

Jimenez has been appointed by former President Benigno Aquino III as the acting secretary of the DOT in September 2011 to replace former secretary Alberto Lim.

He led the agency until 2016.

Prior to his appointment, Jimenez worked in the field of advertising for over 30 years.

He was the former Joint Chief Executive Officer and Senior Consultant at WOO Consultants.

Jimenez also worked "as a Journalism and Marketing Communications instructor in some of the country’s most renowned universities, and is a sought-after lecturer for many successful corporations such as the San Miguel Corporation and the Jollibee Group," according to a Palace statement in 2011.