WOW Philippines: The Possible Dream

In these hardheaded, difficult, and complex times, some people find it so easy to dismiss the importance of dreams. As if perhaps, they were the stuff of a softer, sweeter time. A time removed from the grim, world-shaking, myth-shattering events that seem to pursue us across our lives today – in headlines, broadcasts, many times the somber, always the urgent tones of network anchormen. But the truth is, there never has been or will be a time more suited for dreams.

Sometime in 1984, while in New York on vacation for a week, I was invited to attend the graduation rites of Syracuse University. The invitation was from a friend of mine, who was a law junior at the Yale Law School when I was pursuing my graduate degree at the same school and we had maintained correspondence through the years. Over lunch at one of those nice Manhattan grills, he invited me to join him at Syracuse where his nephew was one of the graduates. Being on vacation, I readily accepted. The commencement speaker happened to be Mario Cuomo, then governor of New York, and his address I have not forgotten. He stressed to the graduates how coming to "this New World that is America must have been such a daring act" for most of their parents, grandparents, or great grandparents. He related how a week before the inauguration of his term as governor, he had pondered over the improbable hopes and "long shots", and summed it up by imagining this interview between his mother and an immigration official at Ellis Island.

"Where are you from?" the official would have wearily inquired of the young, timid immigrant woman…alone, with little more than hope. "I’m from Provincia di Salerno," and responds to the question, "What do you do?" with "Nothing. I’m going to meet my husband in New Jersey."

The next question: "What does he do?" Answer: "Nothing, he’s looking for work."

"What kind of work?" "Well, he has no skills, he never was educated. But he is strong; he can use his big hands and will work all day."

"Does he have any friends or any money?" "No. We have nothing – no friends, no money, just a baby boy."

"With no friends, no money, no skills, no education, what do you expect of this country?"

"Not a lot…just work, a place to sleep, a chance to raise a family. And just one other thing…before I die, I would like to see my son become the governor of New York State."

An impossible dream at Ellis Island? Not quite! The dream came true. It describes a story that has happened over and over, for those who dared and who worked, probably worked very hard for their dreams.

Who was it who said: "There are two kinds of persons in the world: those who think first of difficulties; and those who think first of accomplishment in spite of the difficulties." Richard Gordon, Secretary of the Department of Tourism whose foreign sounding name belies the deep patriotism that lives in his heart, belongs to that class of human beings who thrive on surmounting the greatest of obstacles, who believe that difficulties rather than ease extract the best that is in one, and that the difficulty that wrestles with anyone strengthens his nerves and sharpens his skills.

This is the Dick Gordon I saw one birthday celebration of his in a great big hall in Subic, teeming with people of all ages, but noticeably a great number of idealistic youth, with good-looking, supportive Kate by his side, proudly proclaiming to the world, the dreams he had for Subic and for his country. Some people around me were skeptics, they marveled over his magnificent rhetoric delivered in customary rapid-fire, but felt it couldn’t all be true. I have always been a believer of Dick as a doer, as a performer, in fact, sometimes, too excited a performer. And listening to people say "he is all smooth talk," I have that urge to tell them, "Just you wait and see." But then again when you see the fire in his eyes and witness that unusual passion engulf his being – you forget the "smooth talker" and know that Gordon is genuinely for his country.

The difficult years between that day in Subic and one night just two weeks ago, as I watched him over a TV talk show expound on "WOW Philippines," have not dimmed the fire in his eyes nor diminished the passion in his gut. And again one will say, "How can he be talking about WOW Philippines with the Abu Sayyaf in Mindanao, kidnappings on the rise, criminality obviously a force that dissuades the tourists from visiting our country?" I’ve heard people say Gordon is not being realistic for it just can’t be done right now. WOW Philippines is just all gimmick and all show.

Let me tell you that this new approach and strategy embodied in WOW, though tied up with many underlying problems of the country, will succeed in multiplying the number of tourist arrivals. In spite of what the skeptics may label as corny, for example, that WOW, an acronym for "Wealth of Wonders," or "Warm over Winter" vis-a-vis Boracay, Pearl Farm, Palawan, etc., will work. Attracting the potential tourists requires a catchy slogan and WOW Philippines is easy on the tongue and good for name recall.

Connecting this with the numbers approach utilized in the "Volunteer 12 Program" cannot but be effective. This program proceeds from the fact that we may not have the US $70 million promotional budgets of competitor-countries, but we have a marvelous resource of about 7.38 million overseas Filipinos. If each one of these overseas Filipinos can send even just one tourist to the Philippines in one year, the Philippines will get 7.38 million tourists, and will be able to beat Singapore which had 7 million in the year 2000. We just have to work hard at it. And already, there are now 8,000 registered volunteers.

Last Wednesday, the 8th of May, I found myself received in the office of DOT Usec Oscar Palabyab. Secretary Gordon was with the presidential party in Malaysia and Thailand. Never having met Usec Palabyab, I discovered a functionary firmly believing in the programs within the wide ambit of WOW. A lawyer by profession, he is now an expert on tourism data, holding office in such a modest but busy and cluttered room. The DOT building was meticulously clean. I could not help but recall how the Clean Credo was imposed, but nurtured as it has been, it seems to have worked. Everyone I met, from the guards at the entrance, all the way to the Usec’s office, especially an assistant called Miles, was warm and friendly. In fact, everyone smiled and I felt nostalgic for another government office, the DOTC, where I spent almost 19 years of my life, and now miss the members of my staff very much as well as those in the upper office. I felt like visiting Evelyn Pantig, another DOT Usec, but am familiar with how busy government functionaries can be and knew I would just be in the way.

Going to the Tourism Information Center, a very pleasant room, I was graciously told I could get any leaflet or pamphlet, and helped myself to every single one of them, in the most glorious colors and the most attractive pictures. I realized instantly that I was going through an education of sorts. I have seen a lot of tourist materials from other countries in all these years and I can attest to the fact that I was seeing some of the best in the world that I have ever seen. Pamphlets on spectacular favorite Boracay, on Palawan, Cebu, the historical metropolis of the South. There were pamphlets on Bohol, an eco-cultural paradise; Negros Oriental, bounty of the Oriental Seas; Siquijor, the magic island-paradise; a favorite of mine, Davao, a most alluring gateway to the Philippines; of course Subic, Laoag, Vigan with their satellite destinations so colorfully depicted; Camarines Sur’s little known "Buhi"; Caylabne Bay, beautiful and surprisingly modern. There were beautiful brochures on WOW Philippines agri-tours, whitewater expeditions; Intramuros in all its pain and glory; WOW’s Fiesta Shopping Guide; CCP’s calendar of events with my favorite Cecile Licad smiling on the cover; Asia’s friendliest casino, Casino Filipino; Metro Manila and historical satellite destinations beautifully depicted and accurately described, etc. The world’s got to see them all!

Going through a paper called the "Tourism Marketing Plan for 2002-2003," one cannot help but notice the emphasis on a "Visit Campaign Today." Today, to assess the ongoing tourism infrastructure from airports to terminals, to expressways, to convention cities. Today, to assess the incoming conferences and convention, compete and bid. Today, to implement the general leisure market strategy to entice the overseas Filipino and strengthen the domestic market, which even I, in spite of former President F.V. Ramos’ many out-of-town hardship cabinet meetings, could benefit from. Today, to identify priority markets targeting 3 million visitors in 2003, matching these markets with target segments and preferred activities, i.e., for Taiwan (holiday seekers, businessmen), Japan (honeymooners, golf, dining, students); US (surfing, golf, businessmen, students), etc. Today, to mobilize the Filipino overseas media, as print, broadcast, cyberspace, to disseminate attractive information. Today, to get unequivocal specific support from local government units. Today, to concretize specific coordination with relevant government agencies. And before I forget, today, to mobilize the Filipino soul to help out.

Did I hear another skeptic say: "This is all useless rhetoric"? What I can see is the fact that the DOT is deeply immersed and firmly committed. With Dick Gordon taking the lead, the man I’ve always known to be imaginative, daring, and absolutely committed, WOW Philippines, on Dick’s own Ellis Island, is indeed a possible dream.