Congressional probe on tourism video blunder inevitable - solon

ABS-CBN News

MANILA — A congressional inquiry over the supposed lapses in the country&#x27;s tourism campaign video is inevitable, a lawmaker said Tuesday.According to Albay 2nd District Rep. Joey Salceda, the &quot;Love the Philippines&quot; tourism video has drawn a bad image for the country and placed the Department of Tourism in a tight spot.&quot;Sa ngayon, makikita mo naman ang mga statements, mga press release they are contradictory. So, a congressional inquiry will definitely be inevitable in this case. In the meantime, I don&#x27;t think that the flaw is irreversible,&quot; he told ANC&#x27;s &quot;Headstart&quot;.Salceda, who chairs the House ways and means panel, said he would move on from the issue, for now.&quot;Para sa akin, move on na dapat ako, move forward. My attitude now is really to help her (Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco), help the DOT kasi tayo rin nasasaktan,&quot; he said.&quot;We keep shooting ourselves in our own foot by you know receiving with this controversy that gets highlighted globally and shows a very difficult position for the Philippines.&quot;He earlier called out the tourism department for failing to include Albay&#x27;s Mayon Volcano in the country&#x27;s latest marketing campaign.Under the 2023 General Appropriations Act, some P1.27 billion were earmarked for DOT&#x27;s promotion activities, of which P250 million would be used for branding campaigns, Salceda said.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/07/03/23/dot-to-terminate-contract-with-ad-agency-after-video-blunder">DOT to terminate contract with ad agency after video blunder</a></li></ul>The DOT has said it would terminate its contract with ad agency DDB Philippines, which it tapped to create the country&#x27;s tourism branding campaign.DDB meanwhile said the presentation, which drew flak on social media over the weekend, was intended to be a &quot;mood video to excite internal stakeholders about the campaign.&quot;But Salceda doubts the agency&#x27;s explanation.&quot;The bid was awarded in March, indicating the contract by now is in its fourth month, making it unlikely the video was initial. In short, sinungaling ang DDB,&quot; he said.DDB has &quot;profusely apologized&quot; to Frasco, adding that it would &quot;take full responsibility&quot; for the alleged blunder.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/07/02/23/ad-agency-sorry-over-stock-footage-in-love-the-philippines-video">Ad agency apologizes over use of stock footage in &#x27;Love The Philippines&#x27; video</a></li></ul><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" frameBorder="0" height="100%" id="ivsplayer01" scrolling="no" src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/html/iframe-src.html?iframeid=ivsplayer01&amp;key=e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603&amp;spid=3001339&amp;vid=2705563" width="100%"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div>

A congressional inquiry over the supposed lapses in the country's tourism campaign video is inevitable, a lawmaker said Tuesday.