The Pearl of the Orient Sea, that’s what they call our country, the Philippines. Truly, the Philippines is a wonderful country, especially if you are looking for a place to relax. We are just a small country but it has numerous places where people can enjoy themselves, loosen up in the warm rays of sun, walk in the white sand of Boracay and freshen themselves in the many pristine beaches surrounding the archipelago.
One of the famous tourist spot in the country is the famous white sand beach of Boracay, the hundred islands of Pangasinan, the beautiful place of Palawan and the Chocolate Hills of Bohol. Other than that, there are still many places to visit in the Philippines like the city of Cebu which is now ranked as the third best island in Asia for Leisure and Travel by a New York based magazine. Cebu is a really great island to pay a visit with. I have gone to many places in Cebu incuding the Kawasan Falls, the Taoist Temple, the Church of Sto. Niño, the Cross of Magellan and the Moalboal Beach. The place never ceases to inspire me and surprise me. I can’t describe the feeling when I first went there; I was in awe of the beauty and tranquillity of the place. Though Cebu is considered as the major city in the Visayas, where offices, buildings and big businesses are found, still the atmosphere of a province remains.
Unlike in Manila, where smokes from cars and jeepneys pile up in the air, and the people are always rushing to work, the air in Cebu is clean and the people seems so relax that you wanted to come back again. Aside from Cebu, there is Lake Cebu in General Santos in the province of Mindanao. Boracay is not the only white beach in the Philippines, in fact there are so many in the province of Mindanao, however because of the threat of the militant group, this white beaches goes unnoticed. Truly, there are still many things that we should discover in the Philippines, the hidden gems and the unnoticed beauty of some place.
Besides the place, the Philippines is also known for its warm, hospitable and happy people. I have heard many stories that even though Filipinos are face with problems or difficult challenges, they still manage to smile. This is all the more why people from other parts of the country should visit the Philippines. However, negative controversies cannot be stopped. First there was the hostage drama that happened last August 23, 2010 that put the Philippines as one of the dangerous countries to travel to. Then there was the travel advisory released in some countries that banned their people on going to the Philippines because of security.
Maybe these issues prompted the Department of Tourism (DOT) to create a new logo in order to attract more foreigners into visiting our country. The old slogan Wow Philippines was replaced into Pilipinas kay Ganda, which sparked controversies and criticisms from different sectors of the government. According to reports, the said new slogan was copied from the slogan of Portugal from the colors of the text, the font style, the use of trees and waves, even worst, the DOT was said to use a budget of P5 Million to launch the new slogan to government stakeholders and the media.
Because of the controversies the DOT is facing right now, many people gave their own opinion about the said slogan. For one, the new slogan Pilipinas kay Ganda lacks appeal and the use of the Tagalog Language could be a disadvantage since the target of this slogan are foreigners. In addition, it was said that the slogan was rushed by the DOT in order to meet the said deadline. The slogan, instead of bringing hope to our country for more tourists, it instead brought controversies which leads to criticisms. I hope that someday the DOT will be careful in producing logos and slogans for the Philippines to attract tourists, so that we can share the hidden beauty of our country.
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