Senator Nancy Binay flagged a marketing campaign slogan on a London bus that includes a Filipina-British nurse, saying it appeared just like the Philippines is providing its nurses to the world when the nation additionally wants them right here.
According to a “24 Oras” report, the commercial learn as: “The nurse who gave the world’s first COVID-19 vaccine. A Filipina. We give the world our best. The Philippines.”
The bus advert carried an image of May Parsons, the Filipina nurse who administered the world’s first COVID-19 vaccine.
“Kasi, based on that one transit ad that recently saw the rounds in London. Nakaka-bother lang when you see the ad, it seems that we are offering the world our nurses – which is a bit off kasi nauubusan na nga tayo rito ng mga health worker,” Binay, chairperson of the Senate committee on tourism, stated.
“We don’t want to commodify our people, and we don’t want to be tagged as labor-exporting country,” she added, questioning the relation between the nurse, syringe and the vaccine within the promotion of tourism.
Parsons thanked the Philippine authorities for the commercial, which was stated to be the concept of the Presidential Adviser on Creative Communications Secretary Paul Soriano’s workplace.
Department of Tourism (DOT) Secretary Christina Frasco clarified that the road “we give the world our best” just isn’t the brand new tourism slogan. She added that is solely a rustic model that goals to “show the world the best of the Philippines and honor the overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).”
“We do clarify that the advertisement that was released in London is not yet a tourism advertisement of the Department of Tourism (DOT) as we are releasing the branding campaign,” she stated, including that the commercial marketing campaign that honors the OFWs also can entice vacationers.
“Come to think of it, who better to become our tourism ambassadors than our overseas Filipino workers? So I don’t see a disconnect. I see only an opportunity for alignment with the country branding,” Frasco added.
Asked if the 10-year-old tourism slogan “It’s more fun in the Philippines” will quickly get replaced, Frasco stated they plan to reinforce the present slogan in session with stakeholders.
“We will make sure that it will be perfectly aligned with the country branding for the Philippines that is to give the world our best. In no way we are saying that the Philippines is no longer fun. It is. It continues to be. But so much has happened since the pandemic that requires us to evolve, to grow, and to honor those who have made so many sacrifices for our country,” she stated.
The GMA Integrated News Team has sought the response of Soriano however he has not but responded.—Sherylin Untalan/LDF, GMA Integrated News
Source: www.gmanetwork.com
