"Wow, kay ganda!"

By Rolo B. Cena
The Gulf Files
Dumaguete Star Informer
28 November 2010

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia – While the entire Filipino community still clutches to the hangover caused by Rep. Manny Pacquiao’s victory over Antonio Margarito of Mexico, the Department of Tourism is to date bombarded with criticisms about re-naming the official brand of the country. The crossfire is between “Wow Philippines!” and “Pilipinas Kay Ganda!”

The old brand that has been running for straight eight years carries the tagline “Wow Philippines!” and with the logo decorated with colorful tourism icons of the country. It was developed and coined by former Tourism Secretary now Senator Dick Gordon. The word “wow” is actually an internationally accepted word for acclamation.

The new brand carries a tagline “Pilipinas Kay Ganda!” and a logo embellished with Bohol’s brand tarsier, coconut trees, the sun and the wave. This, according to sources, was commissioned to an advertising company. The tagline is an expression of acclamation only Filipinos can understand.

Re-designing the brand with a complete change in the tagline and logo catches the eagle’s eyes of the public; it draws negative feedback. It even calls for resignation of the top executives of the Department.

In an interview with Radio Inquirer, Sec. Lim argued there was nothing final about the logo when it was launched. What a subtle excuse from an executive whose mandate is to protect the image of the nation. Why did he launch something that’s not final? I cannot dismiss the idea that he was only laying on the table an elementary school project to test the water under the bridge. This is entirely an inconsistency to the superlative degree that is truly unacceptable!

I really wonder whether or not Sec. Lim knows which one should come first, the chicken or the egg.

Reports indicated that it was even junked by no less than the President. What should the Department focus is to come up with fresh designs that reflect Filipino ingenuity and creativity and not the copy-pasting skills. They should understand that international market does not include the Philippines and so therefore they should aptly design the brand along with the tagline that can be best understood by the entire world.

One cyber-net expert explains that typing “Pilipinas Kay Ganda” in web browsers yields a pornographic website. This consequential effect must have been considered; searches must have been tried and tested prior to uploading. Hey, does anybody from the department know what potential problem analysis (PPA) is? This proves that the new brand was haphazardly created to meet deadlines. Indeed, they stirred a lot of dead lines!

In one of my lectures in World Tourism, it was studied that taglines, when blended with the artistry of designs and colors (logo) create a brand that attract common eyes; however, taglines should be expressed in a language that is best understood by the majority. Essentially, it’s recommended that taglines should be expressed in one or two rhetoric. And “Wow Philippines!” perfectly fits the platform. It is perfectly understood by the whole world.

In my class in Tourism Planning and Development, we emphasized the necessity of coherence and synchronization. Apparently, we are not only selling the beautiful archipelago, we are as well selling the government, the culture and the people. Logically, close coordination and synchronization of actions affecting the business of tourism should be undertaken by all stakeholders, not just by the Department.

Rhetorically, “Pilipinas Kay Ganda” does not contain even a word that sparks curiosity from international public. “Wow Philippines!” is still better and a more effective teaser to date. Yes, what’s in a name but what is it in the new name, indeed?

Tourism is not about beautiful places alone, not about multi-colored or diversified culture and heritage. It is more of an image we people create and project. If we create terrorism or project indifference, then that defines our selling point which no tourist, in his soundest mind, would buy.

Surprisingly, in the Arab Kingdom of Oman, when tourists arrive at the airport, immigration officers welcome them with genuine smile saying: “Making our tourists happy is our business.” And when these people leave the beautiful oil-rich kingdom, immigration officers would ask this sterling question: “When are you coming back, sir?” Noticeably, the influx of their international tourists outnumbers their locals; records have it.

In the Philippines, when first-time tourists arrive at the airport, immigration officers would always smile sans sincerity and say: “Mabuhay, welcome to the Philippines!” When these tourists depart from the Philippines, some would leave traces of doubts and images of discontent that would lead them to ask: “Shall we come back?”

And this horrible image of our country we need to change, certainly, not the logo or the tagline! After all, it doesn’t change the equation.