“Go, go, go, Philippines!”
Ruffa Mae Quinto posted her popular catch-phrase “Go, go, go” following the launch of the “Love the Philippines” tourism campaign.
The Department of Tourism (DOT) replaced the eleven-year-old tourism slogan “It’s More Fun in the Philippines” with “Love the Philippines.” The rebranded campaign garnered mixed cheers and jeers among Filipinos.
This was unveiled during its 50th-anniversary celebration of the DOT last June 27.
Amid the varying reactions, Ruffa posted “Go, go, go, Philippines.”
She also uploaded an edited photo of herself with a colorful frame that seemed to imitate the official tourism campaign poster.
“Para sa tourist…Go go go Philippines! Mabuhay ang Pilipinas. Para sa bayan,” Ruffa wrote as a caption. The post was accompanied by emojis that included the Philippine flag.
Several Filipinos were amused by the comedienne’s post. Some of them perceived it as a better slogan than “Love the Philippines.”
Others said that they can imagine Ruffa saying the line herself.
“A picture with built-in audio plus facial expression plus hand gestures,” a Filipino Facebook user said.
“The caption that you can hear immediately,” another Facebook user commented.
During the launch, Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco explained that “Love the Philippines” brand means experiencing the Philippines “beyond the fun.”
“Love the Philippines goes to the very heart of every single Filipino with the distinct grace and hospitality with which we welcome every guest that comes to our shores, our communities, and our homes. Love the Philippines is a recognition of our natural assets, our long and storied history, our rich culture and diversity,” she said.
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The tourism campaign was created in partnership with the acclaimed travel agency DDB Group Philippines.
Barely a week after, however, the official tourism video was placed under intense scrutiny online for allegedly featuring stock footage of popular tourist destinations from other countries.
These include Thailand’s fishing lake, Dubai’s sand dunes and Indonesia’s rice terraces.
In response to this issue, the tourism department assured the public that it will conduct an “exhaustive investigation” into the originality and ownership of the materials used in the video.
On Monday, the DOT also said it is terminating its contact with DDB.
READ: Issues hounding DOT’s ‘Love the Philippines’ tourism video earn global attention | DOT terminates tourism branding campaign contract with DDB Philippines after use of stock footage
Frasco previously said that the entire tourism rebranding is worth P49 million.
READ: ‘Love the Philippines’ tourism campaign costs P49 million — DOT chief