More fun in the PHILIPPINES!

More fun in the 

PHILIPPINES!

  By BERTENI "TOTO" CATALUÑA CAUSING

  Editor-in-Chief, Dyaryo Magdalo

         Facebook walls are teeming with all kinds of spinoffs of jokes from another faux pas committed by the Department of Tourism (DOT) in its determined bid to aggressively promote the industry that relies on visitors.

         In both two occasions that the DOT grabbed headlines, there was no doubt the end was pure. But the means to achieve was impure.

         The intention was no doubt to sell to the world the country's resorts, tour sites, diving sites, historical sites and other lovely places, including the Philippines' very own Underground River in Puerto Princesa, Palawan.

         It is indeed laudable to beat Thailand that is relying on its tour industry to earn about $15 billion a year or more.

         In November 2010, the first DOT tourism logo project that was put out was "PIlipinas Kay Ganda" that was strikingly similar to the tourism logo of Poland called "Polska".

         This triggered then DOT Undersecretary Vicente Romano III to resign. 

         Later, Secretary Alberto Lim resigned also.  He was replaced by Ramon Jimenez Jr.

         Then Romano got his own faux pas. 

          He approved the coming out of a new campaign design logo pasted on all kinds of advertisement photographs about the Philippines.  He dubbed it, "It's more fun in the Philippines."  

         It turned out that this is more strikingly similar to the tourism campaign of Swtzerland in 1951.

        Jun Pasaylo, a fellow alumnus of the author from Mindanao State University who is in the news desk of the Philippine Star, posted: "ITO PA! PNOy to expel SC Justice over plagiarism, yet lauded his DOT people for plagiarizing twice its tourism slogan! It's More Fun in the Philippines!"

        To his post, this writer replied with a post entitled "WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE?"  Here, and it is quoted as follows:

        "WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE?

        "What is the difference between: on one hand the accusation that the Dept. of Tourism copied 'It's more fun in Switzerland' launched in 1951 to come out with an advertisement 'It's more fun in the Philippines' to advance the cause of tourism; and on the other hand the accusation that Supreme Court Justice Del Castillo copied the treatises or dissertations of American legal luminaries?

         "REMEMBER THAT BOTH HAVE NO CITATIONS.

          "That of Del Castillo's is a case where the copied item has a copyright that is still existing because the copyright exists when the author is still alive and until after 50 years from his death. (He however reasoned out that it was only accidental that the citation credit was removed when the ponencia prepared by his researcher was finalized.)

          "That of the DOT's case, there is no known author that has come out except for the credit that should go to the Government of Switzerland."

          Another FB friend posted: "Both are plagiarism." 

          Jokingly, this author likes to add another difference: Justice Del Castillo can be impeached while the DOT cannot be impeached.

          The Philippines has always been a big fun itself as other countries or other races make a big fun of the nation and its people.

          It has a senator who is a joke, Sen. Joker Arroyo.  It had president who is a joke, or not genuine, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.   It has plenty of officials who are "more fun" in themselves, possessing fake diplomas, fake master's degrees, fake PHDs etc.

          It has a lot of fun in politicians, who are alll "fake people."

         In the ranks of journalists, there are also "more fun" and they are called "hao-shiaos"!

         But the biggest fun in the Philippines is its people. Their fate has always been made fun of by wily and greedy politicians.

         Whew!

         Indeed, "It's more fun in the Philippines" than in Switzerland.

          But since the craze now is this kind of fun, the author thought of coming out with his own fun: His photo playing a guitar on December 30, 2011 with the "funny" phrase:

          "Sing Toto Causing? More fun in the Philippines."