MANILA, Philippines – The marketing communications company behind the Department of Tourism’s “Love the Philippines” campaign has apologized for using stock footages of Thailand, Indonesia, and Dubai in a promo video on the country, noting that the video was meant for internal use only.
In its statement, DDB Philippines said: “No public funds were released, or would be released, to fund the video. This was a DDB initiative to help pitch the slogan.” The DOT, however, noted that it will “not hesitate to exact accountability and take the necessary action to protect the interest of the country even as it continues to exhaust all efforts to develop and promote the Philippine tourism industry.”DDB Philippines was paid P49 million for the campaign, including the study and new logo.