The Philippines Department of Tourism has launched an investigation into a recently released promotional video that featured pictures from other countries passed off as their landscape. The video, which was part of the ministry's "Love the Philippines" campaign, was swiftly removed from Facebook after a Filipino blogger pointed out the error.
The agency involved in making the video has apologised for the error which used shots from Thailand, Indonesia, Dubai instead of Philippines.
The promotional video, created as part of the ministry's $900,000 campaign, was intended to showcase the beauty and attractions of the archipelago nation. However, it was discovered that the video included stock footage from other countries, which sparked controversy and led to the video's removal.
Advertising agency DDB, responsible for creating the video, acknowledged that the use of foreign stock footage was an “unfortunate mistake” on their part and admitted that they should have adhered to proper screening and approval processes. DDB also emphasized that no public funds were used for the video, as it was their own initiative.
"The use of foreign stock footage in a campaign promoting the Philippines is highly inappropriate and contradictory to the DOT's objectives," DDB Philippines stated.
The Department of Tourism has assured the public that they are taking the matter seriously and conducting an exhaustive investigation into the alleged use of non-original shots. They are gathering all the facts and determining the veracity of the allegations.
One of the individuals who first brought attention to the issue was Filipino blogger Sass Rogando Sasot. In a Facebook post, Sasot revealed that stock images of a lake in Thailand, as well as images from Bali and Dubai, were used in the promotional video.
Additionally, aerial shots of sand dunes from Cumbuco in northeastern Brazil and a man driving a buggy over sand dunes in the United Arab Emirates were included.
The tourism ministry had recently introduced their new slogan, "Love The Philippines," replacing the previous slogan, "It's More Fun in the Philippines."
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