When I first heard of the latest proposed campaign for Philippine tourism, I was really skeptic and asked, "really?" While others thought it sounded like a "lazy" edition of another brainstorming session, some would assume that the slogan was not thoughtfully considered. I also thought it sounded like a cross-breed of ABS-CBN programs.
From a local perspective, it may work, or that's what I think, at least. But ask if foreigners or other "balikbayans" would agree. I bet most won't. Bad exposure, or poor branding? That's for you to decide.
But when I saw this logo abovejust recently, I thought it wasn't THAT bad for the color representations depict the colorful heritage of the 7,100 islands of the Philippines. The font choice makes it seem that our islands are fun to visit, too.
But when I saw this...
Polish Tourism logo
As much as the logo would look enticing enough, it still doesn't look or feel right to publish something that was already used, whether they intentionally knew about this or not.
Why not this instead? lol
To generate your own logo, you have to log in to your Facebook account and and search for the Kay Ganda application.
Don't we all agree of the need to revisit the campaign? My thoughts would be to make our officials reconsider other ideas for the tourism campaign. I'm sure they are working hard towards the goal of having an excellent branding for Philippine tourism, but before releasing half-baked ideas as such, they should have made a much more thorough research so that the people would proudly say that the Philippines is the next best destination of choice. Apart from that, people will laud DOT for a job well done in making use of the people's tax money in an efficient manner.
Yes, I know I should have posted this a week ago. This is what makes the site unique…it just doesn’t go with the flow. Haha! How convenient.
But then again, I truly believe that expressing loyalty to the republic and freedom of speech should be done in any point and time, any day of the year. It just so happened that June 12 was the most memorable for the Filipino nation.
This year, June 12 fell on a Saturday -- a perfect day to spend the holiday with the family since it was a long weekend for most of us, especially from the workforce. Those kids who went to school at an earlier date may get to extend their procrastination on their homework.
But first, a brief background:
The Philippine Declaration of Independence occurred on June 12, 1898 in Cavite II el Viejo (now Kawit), Cavite, Philippines. With the public reading of the Act of the Declaration of Independence, Filipino revolutionary forces under General Emilio Aguinaldo proclaimed the sovereignty and independence of the Philippine Islands from the colonial rule of Spain, which had been recently defeated at the Battle of Manila Bay during the Spanish-American War.
The declaration, however, was neither recognized by the United States nor Spain. The Spanish government later ceded the Philippines to the United States in the 1898 Treaty of Paris that ended the Spanish-American War. The United States finally recognized Philippine independence on July 4, 1946 in the Treaty of Manila. July 4 was observed in the Philippines as Independence Day until August 4, 1964 when, upon the advice of historians and the urging of nationalists, President Diosdado Macapagal signed into law Republic Act No. 4166 designating June 12 as the country's Independence Day. June 12 had previously been observed as Flag Day and many government buildings are urged to display the Philippine Flag in their offices. (Thank you, ever-reliable WIKI).
True enough, I have seen residences and establishments proudly hoist the Philippine flag -- the symbol of freedom and of new hope -- pretty much applicable in our present situation as the new administration kicks in.
So on this special day, here were some noteworthy stuff observed:
1. Google page’s honoriffic homepage. Snaps for Google.
2. Bing.com features the Coral Island (Palawan) on its homepage though I highly doubt it has anything to do with the holiday.
3. Congratulatory messages from foreign dignitaries and diplomats for (1) Philippine Independence; and (2) the proclamation of our new leaders of the country.
4. Hearing about this PHP10M parade featuring the outgoing administration’s accomplishments. (If you ask my opinion, I’d rather have the money geared towards addressing issues on population or education, don’t you think?). Both the President-elect and his running mate were absent from the festivities as they had to sponsor a wedding.
5. Free MRT ride I took advantage of (3PM-7PM only). Like what my mom said, we DID pay taxes for the entire year anyway, so it‘s really nothing to rave about. Well, can’t complain about the sardine cabins and funny smells. After all, it was free. Thank God I’d have to bear just one station. Nevertheless, thank you dear president for the free ride. :)
6. Most of all, mall-wide Independence Day specials. Megamall was packed! Buy 1, Take 1 on Triumph underwear! Kim Chiu promoting Smart Buddy. Jam-packed National Bookstore for the uber last minute shopping of school supplies. Chaos! Chaos! Chaos! Only in the Philippines.
Didn’t I mention that people are dead-crazy to have the scramble that they have to queue up for it?
And on this note, I would like to dedicate my all-time favorite “nationalistic” hymn. to us all Tayo ay may iisang dugo, isang lahi at musika (We have one blood, race and voice). Song was interpreted by the critically-acclaimed Philippine Madrigal Singers.
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