Include Dinagyang in new ‘Love the Philippines’ video

By Rjay Zuriaga Castor

Now that the Department of Tourism (DOT) has taken down “Love the Philippines” campaign video amid use of stock footage from other countries, Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas said Dinagyang Festival deserves to be featured in its new tourism video.

“As a festival, it has earned its right to be included,” Treñas said, emphasizing that “it has been adjudged the best tourism event of the Philippines for several times by the (Association of Tourism Officers of the Philippines, Inc. (ATOP) Pearl Awards).”

In 2021, ATOP awarded Dinagyang Festival’s first online version as Best Tourism Practice during the Pandemic Special Category, while in 2020 as the grand champion in the Best Tourism Event (Festival) As Contemporary/Non-Traditional Expression category.

Albay Rep. Joey Salceda earlier called out the DOT for the exclusion of Mayon Volcano in the original tourism campaign.

Salceda, who chairs the House ways and means panel, suggested to the tourism department to have a “genuine rebrand and restart” of the tourism sector through consultation with the public.

The tourism department’s promotional video has drawn flak after netizens pointed out that it contained stock footage of sceneries from Thailand, Indonesia, and the United Arab Emirates.

DOT has since terminated its contract with DDB, the advertising firm behind the campaign video.

DBB publicly apologized for the incident and clarified that the video “was intended to be a mood video to excite internal stakeholders about the campaign.”