Fretting Over the New Tourism Slogan

What would come to the mind of someone foreign to our language when you say "Pilipinas Kay Ganda"? What would you think if someone told you "Decorus Italy?" Nothing would come to your mind but confusion. But if you say "Wow Philippines" it automatically create something of beauty in the mind.

Tourism Secretary Alberto Lim cited “Pilipinas Kay Ganda” as reflective of the optimism being represented by the new administration. “The new Philippine brand will be the centerpiece of our tourism promotional programs and advertising campaigns in the years to come. It is in keeping up with the President’s philosophy of public-private partnership” and "it is reflective of the optimism being represented by the new administration," said Lim.

He said that "although the brand had elicited mixed reactions because of its radical departure from what is currently done by neighboring countries; it is relevant, distinctive, and believable." But did he ponder why the neighboring countries used beautiful brand such as Malaysia. Truly Asia, Incredible India, Amazing Thailand, Uniquely Singapore? They were products of research that should attract the mind of a foreigner to automatically create hunger of what the place has to offer.

Lim is hopeful that by using the vernacular language for the tagline, every domestic and foreign tourist will tend to mouth the phrase in same way Hawaii has successfully popularized the expression “Aloha” in a global scale. He said that “the real challenge is how to make the Philippines attain a competitive identity that differentiates it from what our neighbors are claiming to be. We need to be more daring in expressing our brand, if we are to rise above the clutter."

So what is Lim trying to popularize there? "Kay Ganda?" The Philippine Airlines is already ahead of Lim with their in-flight magazine "Mabuhay".

I believe the neighboring countries are way ahead of us in their tourism promotion. With our new slogan, I believe the only people we can attract to come home are our "kababayan."

If we want to create craving in the minds of foreign people, we should use the universal language that is understood by the very people we want to attract. And of course should rhyme with the name of our country.

I would prefer "Pristine Philippines" because it will not only create a craving for a beautiful and quite place, it will also contest the notion planted in the foreigners' minds that Philippines is not a safe place for tourists.

Or we can just retain Wow Philippines, or perhaps we should change our Tourism secretary.

Automated Election, Not Automatic

Technicians who don't know what they are doing, limited modems, modems that can't transmit, insufficient thermal paper, irregularities in transporting the machines. These things actually happened in so-called Summer Capital of the Philippines during the May 10, 2010 election.

I thought it was only one technician who doesn't know what he's doing.Reports are coming in that a lot of the IT technicians are not really prepared for worst case scenarios. The technician I saw spent most of his time reading the manual to correct a problem of jamming. In the end, the only solution was to transmit the results first before they can continue to print the turn outs. However there is only one modem in each cluster of precinct so they will have to wait for the others to finish transmitting.

So we waited.... and waited.... and waited... coz the other machine just experienced the same problem and they will have to finish transmitting first before the modem can be taken to the other side. So the lone technician went back to reading the manual instead of going to the other side to help them out finish the transmission and get the modem when it's done. They were done already for like 30 minutes or so. But the technician is not coming to get the modem. I asked one of the teachers if she is allowed to bring it over. It is and she brought it over to the other side.

After about an hour or so, the technician went back to our side and asked us if we can open the machine and put the cf card there coz the other machine can't transmit. Everyone of the watchers refused so he went back again to the other side. It turned out, it was the simm that can't transmit coz it was successful when he changed it into a different network.

While these are happening, the thermal papers run out and they have to order more from comelec. It made me wonder that if COMELEC was really prepared, should they have been able to compute the amount of papers needed to print the 30 sets of election returns? Some precincts were still working until 3 in the morning because of similar problems. The automation is not really automatic.

When the counting is done, the CF cards should have been transported separately with the machine and should have been accompanied by the watchers. Some of the machines were transported with the CF cards intact in a car-for-rent of a politician and no watchers were allowed to go with it. Transportation provided by COMELEC is not even enough. It seems they are not as prepared as they claimed.

So why did they insist for Automated election when it's obvious that they were not prepared? But maybe this ought to happen so that we will learn to change. Perhaps today is not the change we are looking for but just a preparation so that we can be ready when the real change comes.