President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. said that Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco continued to enjoy his trust despite the tourism campaign controversy.
President Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr. receives the plaque of appreciation for his late father from the Department of Tourism on June 27, 2023 at the Manila Hotel. (Ali Vicoy)
"Yes absolutely. No question," Marcos said on Friday, July 7, when asked if Frasco still enjoyed his trust despite the issues surrounding the "Love the Philippines" tourism campaign.
The President said he had spoken to Frasco about the matter, and noted that Frasco had already addressed the issue by terminating the contracts that were in question.
He also expressed confidence that Frasco will be able to "fix the problem", and that the new tourism campaign will succeed.
"She has also, since then, put under review all of the other contracts that were in the pipeline," he said.
"Kaya't sa aking palagay (So, I think) she has it under control, she knows what to do, what she has done so far inspires confidence that she will fix the problem and that the campaign of 'Love the Philippines' will be as successful as we hope for it to be," Marcos said.
The Department of Tourism earned flak after DDB Philippines admitted to using foreign stock footage for its content when it launched the tourism promotional campaign video.
The promotional video was shown during the launch of the new tourism slogan "Love the Philippines" on June 27.
Frasco then said that the new tourism slogan was in recognition of the Philippines’ natural assets, its long history, and its rich culture and diversity.
