Love the Philippines?
It’s been a while since I wrote a piece about my beloved country. Sometime after the 2022 Philippine election, I got tired of caring so much. I stopped intentionally watching the news. I seldomly expressed my opinion about politics. I felt that my energy was better spent on things I directly had control over.
Then the Love the Philippines AVP tourism campaign came out. Just like many Filipinos, I too was outraged and extremely disappointed with the video footage. And so I awoke from my political apathy.
The tourism video did not give justice to the country. Instead of being a showcase for the country’s best, it gave a glimpse into the country’s worst — corruption, deceit, and mediocrity. What could be more ironic than a “love the Philippines” video promotion using stock videos from different countries?
Aside from the deceitful sourcing of clips, the production also lacked heart. It was dull. Of course, a single video can only show so much. But with a total campaign budget of 49 million pesos, we expect more. It failed to highlight the lovable traits of the Filipinos or the lovely scenes of the Philippines. Great productions evoke emotions. They tell stories. Many content creators have shown that one minute is enough to do this. But the 1.45 minutes of the tourism AVP did neither. It was just a series of random drone shots and short clips.
