Philippines Tourism Advert Uses Footage From Other Countries

Be careful with tourism ads that popularize holiday destinations because they are not always what they depict. 

 

The advertising agency behind the Philippine government's 49 million pesos (nearly $900,000) "Love The Philippines" tourism campaign launched on June 27 had to ask for pardon after their Pilipinas promotional video showed "non-original" stock footage from other countries. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On Sunday, the DDB Philippines agency released a statement and said they "profusely" apologised to the country's Tourism Secretary and the Department of Tourism, as well as the people of the Philippines. 

 

The clip featured many different shots that showed the Tegallalang Rice Terrace in Ubud in Bali, Indonesia and sand dunes in Cumbuco in northeastern Brazil as well as footage of a man riding a buggy in the desert in the United Arab Emirates. 

 

Explaining the mishap, the agency said: "While the use of stock footage in mood videos is standard practice in the industry, the use of foreign stock footage was an unfortunate oversight on our agency's part. 

 

Proper screening and approval processes should have been strictly followed. The use of foreign stock footage in a campaign promoting the Philippines is highly inappropriate, and contradictory to the DOT's objectives". 

 

The DOT released a statement on Monday and said they stand in "solidarity" with "fellow Filipinos" in their outrage over the matter. The department said they remain "fully committed" to developing and promoting the country as a "powerhouse of natural wonders, culture and heritage, and a fount of warmth and hospitality which is a source of great love and pride for all Filipinos". 

 

Blogger Sass Rogando Sasot, who also uncovered the use of other countries in the video, called out the agency and said "at least four scenes" were stock footage – which included shots from Thailand, Indonesia and Dubai. 

 

"When the people in the government and mainstream media didn't realise that the rice terraces and airport in the #LoveThePhilippines aren't in the PH, it means one thing: they themselves do not know our country... and you cannot truly love what you don't know", Rogando Sasot said in a Facebook post.

 

Tourism is a key industry in the Philippines, which boasts pristine dive spots and white sand beaches, but arrivals lag those of its neighbors due to poor infrastructure and high costs. There were 2.7 million inbound tourists to the Philippines last year, down 68 percent from pre-pandemic levels in 2019, according to United Nations' World Tourism Organisation data.

UAE Gives Sinopharm Vaccine the Thumbs-Up

A vaccine developed by China’s Sinopharm – and which is still in the third and final stage of clinical trials in UAE, Peru, Morocco and Argentina – has been given the thumbs-up in the United Arab Emirates. 

According to its media citing local authorities, it has been deemed to be safe and effective. 

So much so that on October 16, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, foreign minister of the UAE, received the vaccine, followed by Mohammed Abdullah al-Gergawi, the UAE minister for cabinet affairs. Not forgetting to mention that front-line healthcare workers in the UAE also got the shot. 

And yesterday, Prime Minister and Vice President of the UAE and ruler of the Emirate of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed Rashid Al Maktoum (right) announced on Twitter that he too has received the coronavirus vaccine shot. 

They didn’t want to wait for the trials to be completed and the findings finalized – suggesting complete confidence in the China vaccine. 

FYI, the UAE has so far recorded 135,141 Covid-19 infections and 497 deaths, according to yesterday's data collected by the Johns Hopkins University.

Yesterday too, I posted a Public Service Announcement about wearing a mask. 

But what if you forgot your mask? It can happen, right?

LOL!

Dubai Police Show-offs

Image credit: http://www.news.com.au/breaking-news/world/dubai-police-show-off-ferrari-patrol-car/story-e6frfkui-1226629677676

Some of us may say that the Dubai Police are showing off. Maybe so but aren’t we all still green–eyed that they have the Ferrari FF (or Ferrari Four) and Lamborghini Aventador LP 700-4 among their fleet of patrol cars? These cars were acquired this month to be used as a deterrent for anyone considering breaking the speed limit, particular those owners of high-powered exotics. I also read that these cars will also be used in popular tourist areas to help promote Dubai.

Sigh! And I drive a Satria Neo.

Liverpool blasted six goals past a hapless Newcastle – and the goals came from Daniel Agger (3), Jordan Henderson (17, 76), Daniel Sturridge (54, 60) and Fabio Borini (74). 

Whatever. The Reds still sit in position No. 7 in the EPL table – Isn’t this pathetic? Brendan Rodgers is a disappointment alright!

The Dubai Debacle

The Dubai debacle is spooking a lot of people. Given that the world is still mired in economic infirmity – this new development is scary.

Actually this came about because the city-state declared their intention to re-structure their largest corporate entity, Dubai World and announced a six-month standstill on the group’s debts. Dubai World is the crown jewel of Dubai’s economy; a global-spanning ports and transportation group and spearheading ambitious real-estate and infrastructure projects at home and abroad. Remember Palm Jumeirah, the emirate’s iconic palm-tree-shaped island, packed with luxury villas and opulent hotels? The company that built it is Nakheel, the real-estate subsidiary of Dubai World.

This surprise move scared the daylights out of investors and severely sapped whatever confidence they had in Dubai’s ability to pay down their massive debt load, sharply increasing the price of insuring against a default. There is genuine concern because this represented the most significant fallout so far in the city-state’s yearlong economic crisis triggered by the collapse in their once-booming real-estate sector in late 2008. In an October 2009 report, Standard & Poor’s estimated Dubai World could be responsible for as much as 50% of Dubai’s total government- and corporate-debt load of some $80-$90 billion (The Wall Street Journal, November 26, 2009, p 18). This is all very alarming.

“Many countries, including Malaysia, see 2010 as the time when the global economy will improve but, with the new episode, we have to wait and see first,” Muhyiddin Yassin, Deputy Prime Minister had cautiously declared on December 01, 2009 itself (Webpage http://biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2009/12/2/business/5217857&sec=business, posted December 02, 2009).

But Nor Mohamed, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department was bold in his assessment; he had confidently said that “Malaysia is unlikely to be hurt by the Dubai debt crisis” (Webpage http://www.btimes.com.my/Current_News/BTIMES/articles/nodub/Article/, posted December 04, 2009).

When Malaysian ministers are quick to give their opinions, I begin to worry. Most times, they are clueless about these weighty matters. After all, we know that stupidity thrives in the Malaysian Cabinet.

Even if we are spared, we may, still, be indirectly affected should the world's financial centers like London and New York be impacted by the Dubai debt fallout. But we already know that, right? Meanwhile, we can only wait and see...