Fun, fun, fun?

FRONTLINE

Fun, fun, fun?

By Ninez Cacho-Olivares

Yippie yippie yey! It’s more fun in the Phiippines!

Uh, sandali lang. So what’s more fun in the Philippines? Tourism plagiarism?

Well, the new Tourism Secretary, advertising man Ramon Jimenez, who has finally come up with the tourism slogan of “It’s more fun in the Philippines” for the international market and just “more fun in the Philippines” for the domestic market, said that in creating the slogan, they thought of something easily understood by everybody and competitive at the same time, as they have to “challenge for attention.”

He also said, during the launching yesterday that the new slogan no longer used adjectives as he says claimed adjectives are so passe, since “it’s the end of the era of adjectives.” Really? Ayayayayay. Palpak na naman! Switzerland, according to a report, had exactly the same slogan that says -- hold your breath! “It’s more fun in Switzerland!” And that slogan was done six decades ago -- in 1951! What’s more passe than that? Oops. There goes the DoT again. Plagiarizing, not the Poles this time, but the Swiss. So, is Noynoy going to fire Jimenez too? Nah, he won’t. Jimenez belongs to the KKK Klub of Noynoy.

Truth to tell, even his campaign of change was a copy of Obama’s first presidential run campaign. Daang matuwid? That’s a copy of Marcos’ New Society slogan.

Uhmm... It’s fun to copy a tourism slogan of 1950’s vintage? And just how much did the Filipino taxpayer spend for the “creative” ad agency that couldn’t even come up with an original slogan?

But Jimenez says that’s just coincidence. No kidding. Twice plagiarized and it’s still a coincidence?

But Jimenez says the new slogan answers the question Filipinos are asked all the time.

So how does Jimenez describe fun or even more fun in the Philippines?

The tourism chief says “It’s more fun commuting, getting upstairs, and posting status updates underwater, each featuring a scenic destination in the country.

“Commuting” the Jimenez way is traveling by boat, “posting status updates” while underwater, and going up the “stairs,” which would be going up the Banawe Rice Terraces in Ifugao. Incidentally, the Swiss poster saying “It’s more fun in Switzerland” showed a fetching female in a boat. Coincidence too?

Of course Jimenez and his ad agency couldn’t copy the skiing in the Swiss Alps, so they use the stairway to Banawe Rice Terraces instead. Coincidence again?

That will catch the attention of the tourists for them to be flocking into fun Philippines?

What’s more fun commuting by boat in this country, when one can also have the experience of boat rides elsewhere in the world, like Switzerland? Travelling by banca, whose motor can sputter? Funny, the Swiss poster had another photo of a relaxing time in a bar.

What Jimenez has in his tourist spiel is having more fun in posting updates underwater.

That’s fun? C’mon. That’s no great shakes — unless of course the Tourism department can produce an underwater I-Pad or I-Phone for the tourist to be able to post updates and ugh, text, tweet or talk on face-time under water... that is of course if there’s Wi-fi thoughout our beaches. But even that novelty will have to die out. Besides, one can, after all, post updates in dry land, after a swim or a scuba diving session.

But as Jimenez said: “Wherever you go in the Philippines, it’s the Filipinos that will make your holiday unforgettable. Just ask anyone who’s been here.

That’s true. Some visits to this country can be unforgettable for others, But would there be a lot of unforgettable fun for some foreign tourists who can be kidnapped by the Abu Sayyaf or the Moro rebel groups? They even have to pay for “board and lodging” against the tourists’ will or else, they never get released. And the food is sooo bad for the rates these kidnappers charge for captives’ board and lodging.

But just when will our so-called “creative” Noynoy officials come up with anything original that would moreover work?

With that new and plagiarized Jimenez slogan, we are in again for world ridicule. We are already known for having plagiarized the “Pilipinas kay Ganda” slogan from the Polish government’s tourism office. Now we have to plagiarize from the a decades-old Swiss poster!

That’s not fun. That’s shameful and shameless.