MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Tourism said it is looking into the allegations that some of the video clips used in the new “Love the Philippines” campaign were stock footage of locations outside the Philippines.
In a statement late Saturday, the DOT said it is “currently conducting an exhaustive investigation to determine the veracity of, and to gather the full faculty of facts” on the allegations that non-original parts were used in the video for the country’s new tourism campaign.
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Social media users claimed that some of the footage used in the videos were not shot in the Philippines and were sourced from Storyblocks, a subscription stock footage website.
The tourism department said it had repeatedly sought confirmation from its contracted agency DDB Philippines on the originality and ownership of the materials used in campaign videos during various meetings and consultations.
“In ALL these occasions, DDB repeatedly assured the DOT that the originality and ownership of all materials are in order,” it said.
“While no public funds have been paid for the audio-video presentation in question as this particular component of the launch was released on the account of DDB, the DOT holds responsibility for promoting the country to the highest standard,” the DOT said.
The agency added that it will “not hesitate to exact accountability and take necessary action to protect the interest of the country.”
Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco earlier told CNN Philippines that the “Love the Philippines” tourism campaign was worth P49 million. She said total cost includes the “entire study coming up with a logo and everything and the components of this branding campaign.”
The new campaign has been drawing flak on social media since the DOT launched it last June 27.