It's more funny in the Phl

If we understood correctly the most recent pronouncement from Department of Tourism (DOT) Secretary Ramon Jimenez, his newly launched country brand name — “It’s more fun in the Philippines” — is still a work in progress. In fact, Jimenez disclosed not a single centavo yet has been released by the DOT to roll out the new country brand to kick off the launching of this tourism campaign this year.

Jimenez disclosed President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III reportedly approved the DOT’s new country slogan. In fact, the DOT chief disclosed P-Noy contributed some of his ideas on the making of the new tourism logo: the Philippine map in yellow with a multi-colored netted mat as background.

The preview of the new tourism slogan during a formal press conference of Jimenez last week sparked debates for and against it. It has become an instant hit in the social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter as soon as the DOT presented it to media.

And immediately, the vigilance of net citizens dug up a 1951 Swiss advertisement with the same line, “It’s more fun in Switzerland.” But the Palace dismissed this discovery as something that could not qualify as a copycat of the new DOT country brand name.

Such discovery, however, opened up old wounds for the DOT. Only last year, former DOT Secretary Alberto Lim came under fire after one of his ex-deputies launched “Pilipinas, Kay Ganda” as the country’s new brand name to replace “Wow Philippines.” It would have been launched globally in November 2010 had it not been found that its controversial logo looked like it was copied from Poland’s tourism logo.

The scandal led to the resignation of the DOT deputy behind it and Lim’s quitting the Aquino Cabinet a few months later. P-Noy named Jimenez, a professional ad man, to become his new DOT chief. Jimenez is purportedly the brains behind “Kung walang corrupt, walang mahirap” campaign slogan of Noy during the May 2010 presidential election. And the rest, as we say, is history.

Brushing off the alleged “copycat” case of the country’s new brand name, the President reportedly gave the go-signal yesterday for the DOT to start the series of promotional campaigns to sell the country as a preferred tourist destination. This also effectively allows the release of funds in the DOT’s P5-million budget to pay the winning advertising firm behind “It’s more fun in the Philippines.”

Once the final campaign is ready, Jimenez vowed the DOT would use traditional forms of advertisement for its launch. This includes, he said, the placement in parking spaces overseas of billboard displays for “It’s more fun in the Philippines.” Pun intended, is that how puny the budget allocated for this?

The funny thing was — if it was funny at all — while supposedly the DOT has come up with this latest campaign vehicle to promote the Philippines as a better tourist destination in this part of the world, we were told about a possible terrorist attack in our country. A grim-faced P-Noy suddenly called for a press conference at the Palace late Sunday afternoon to announce to the world about a terror plot in the country’s capital metropolitan area on the eve of the yearly Black Nazarene procession in Quiapo, Manila.

With similarly grim-faced officials composing his Cabinet Cluster on national security lined at his back in the press briefing, the President revealed a supposed terror plot uncovered by intelligence operatives. Reading a prepared statement, P-Noy alerted the public about this plot to sow terror using the expected mammoth crowd of the Black Nazarene procession for maximum impact.

Suspected Muslim extremists who flew all the way from Mindanao to Metro Manila were allegedly behind the purported terror plot. Over the weekend, Defense chief Voltaire Gazmin told about the raids they did at Baseco Compound in Manila and another in Rizal province in an attempt to foil the supposed terrorist plot. But both military raids yielded negative results.

However, the President admitted the probability of the terror attack is “kinda low,” to quote him. Still, the people must be informed about it for a measure of precaution, he pointed out.

Aside from the fact petty criminals like pickpockets do not respect religious events, the Chief Executive also warned devotees not to bring their mobile phones for their own safety. He explained terrorists use mobile phones to trigger explosive devices. But he gave only half the story.

What the President intentionally did not say was that it really was useless for devotees to bring their mobile phones. Compelled by government, the telecommunications companies (telcos) jammed their signals. As allowed by the country’s Constitution, the government can do so by invoking national security and public safety. Well, nothing wrong with that.  

What’s irritatingly funny was jamming the phone signals proved to be too extreme a measure for a “kinda low” threat probability. There’s nothing wrong if government errs on the side of precaution. But relying on intelligence information that has been already de-classified by the President as “kinda low” is funny over-reacting.

As of yesterday, Gazmin reassured the public there is continuous monitoring of suspected areas and suspicious activities, especially around potential targets in Metro Manila.

The Palace scare tactic definitely failed to stop the Black Nazarene devotees from proceeding with their annual tradition. Traffic stood still and nothing moved in the five-kilometer routes of the procession that took 22 hours before the Black Nazarene finally reached Quiapo Church the next morning.

It’s not fun at all if you have no mobile phone signals and being stuck in traffic at the same time. At the end of the day — to borrow P-Noy’s favorite quip — we have to look at the bigger picture if the government intends to promote “It’s more fun in the Philippines.”

No matter what cynics and skeptics say about the DOT’s proposed new country brand, definitely funnier things happen in the Philippines. The popular comedian who mimics former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Rene “Boy” Pacunla, better known as “Ate Glow,” aptly dishes it out: “Ang saya-saya noh!”