DOT: ‘Love the Philippines’ stays until further notice

MANILA, Philippines — Despite the mess created by its promotional video, the Department of Tourism-National Capital Region (DOT-NCR) will continue using the “Love the Philippines” logo and slogan, according to an official.

“I can confirm that as regional director of the DOT-NCR, we will still use the slogan until further notice,” director Sharlene Zabala-Batin yesterday told The STAR.

Batin added that the elements of the new tourism campaign would still be present in her office’s deliverables, like letters and art cards for social media posting, among others.

She said her office would only stop using the “Love the Philippines” logo and slogan “if there is a black-and-white directive” from the national agency to do so.

The new brand’s elements are visible on the buses used for the DOT’s Philippines Hop-on/Hop-off bus tours in Manila, which was launched last week.

The agency also has put the logo on the DOT website.

It also has been present in some events of the DOT since July 10, including the opening of the first tourist rest area in Medellin, Cebu attended by Frasco and the launch of the “Drive Pinas” program between the agency and car company Nissan Philippines.

It is still unclear, though, if the DOT would keep the “Love the Philippines” branding created by advertising agency Doyle, Dane and Bernbach Philippines, but Frasco has repeatedly given hints that the DOT would retain it.

DDB Philippines admitted using stock footage shot in other countries in coming up with the new tourism campaign’s promotional video, shown during the grand launch last June 27, which was attended by President Marcos.

The confession had prompted the DOT to cancel its contract with the ad agency.

While she revealed that the agency has allocated P49 million for the branding contract, Frasco maintained that “not a single peso was paid” for it.

E-services

Meanwhile, the Bureau of Immigration yesterday launched its online service called the “BI E-Services” that will allow foreign tourists to process documents without having to leave the comfort of their home.

In a statement, BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco said that with E-Services as their new platform, immigration procedures are set to become more efficient and convenient for foreign tourists.

“They can now swiftly and securely complete their necessary immigration applications end-to-end online,” Tansingco added.

Applicants for waiver of exclusion grounds for arriving unaccompanied minors, emigration clearance certificate and dual citizenship under Republic Act 9225, or the Citizenship Retention and Re-acquisition Act of 2003, may now submit their applications online.

“Apart from these transactions, we are also excited to launch the online visa waiver and the tourist visa extension,” Tansingco said.

Temporary visitors’ visa extension, or more commonly known as tourist visa extension, is one of the more common transactions of the BI for foreign tourists who intend to stay longer in the country.

The E-Services will support the DOT’s campaign to attract more foreign visitors to come to the country, according to the BI chief.

“Visa extension is really one of the highlights of our E-Services, given its impact on Philippine tourism. We all know that the DOT has recently launched the country’s new slogan, that’s why we are finding ways to make it easy for everyone to love our country more,” he said.

“Our E-Services allows our visitors to comply with their immigration requirements from the comfort of their own homes, hotels or even by the beach. This will definitely aid in boosting tourism, which is one of the main thrusts of the President,” he added.