When I think of David Guerrero's slogan which has a huge possibility of a boomerang effect on his face, I also thought of what he said way back in 2012. While I have to commend that he decided to use social media for advertising (which is really effective) but I thought he's missing the point.
The line below was taken from ABiaS-CBN:
"I think the Philippines is too small on the minds of people outside [the country]," he said. "The biggest problem is not the negative perception of the country, it’s the zero perception of the country."
I understand Guerrero was aware that Philippine tourism pales to its Southeast Asian members. However has he really bothered to EXAMINE every factor that drags tourism down? As said, writing a slogan must match the product. Has he really purposely turned a blind eye on the situations that hamper Philippine tourism?
Like it or not, Ninoy Aquino International Airport seriously needs FIXING. People can't just say, "Well we're in the fourth out of the ten worst airports." based on CNN's 2014 survey. You don't do something about it, maybe the NAIA will become the world's worst airport soon enough.
Now I don't deny the Philippines has real tourist spots like Rice Terraces in Nueva Ecija (please DO NOT destroy it with mining), Siargao is a nice retreat to nature compared to Boracay, you might want to consider going to Bohol for the Loboc River experience but... as said, it's a major pain to have to pass through NAIA, horrible taxi drivers who swindle and cheat, etc. This is a pain really, why can't international flights just be more decentralized than having to pass through Metro Manila right? This alone is a tourism killer.
Ugh! This made me think of the fact that a slum is a real pain in the neck. Huge stench, improper waste disposal (and maybe we can blame the city's improper waste disposal program combined with flimsy laws against littering) and worse, Commission on Human Rights is really defending the rights of squatters to squat. It's really stupid how the 1987 Constitution not only reinforced the protectionist policies of the 1972 Constitution but also, removed the anti-squatting law. It's always about squatters who play the victim card but in reality, they are the human rights violators no thanks to a culture that punishes the diligent but rewards the lazy. People there are lazy, rude and crude... and I really detest the utak squatter culture. Again, blame the welfare state mentality of people. Plus, they are one of the worst contributors of pollution and floods (garbage clogs up the sewers).
Not to mention, who really wants to go to a country where law enforcement is so poor and crime is so high? I still want to blame the stupid Commission on Human Rights or the abolishing of the death penalty to why the crime is so high. At the same time, there were also lots of poorly trained cops that just botched the whole Roland Mendoza incident. The whole hostage crisis last August 23, 2010 really caused a lot of trouble. President Benigno Simeon "Nobita" Cojuangco Aquino should have just properly apologized for the blunder. Instead, it gave a very bad impression that the Philippines is a nation that really does not care about safety. So really, that was another tourism killer.
If the government is really serious in trying to get tourism up, shouldn't it at least focus on fixing problems that cause the city its problems like floods, crime, squatters, etc. than just keep sloganeering David Guerrero's slogan. As I said, reach out for the goal to make it more fun in the Philippines.
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