MANILA, Philippines – Presidential Adviser on Creative Communications Secretary Paul Soriano on Saturday, May 13, defended the “We give our world the best” country branding campaign that has stirred controversy, clarifying that it is not a solely a tourism campaign, and is intended to honor overseas Filipinos.

The controversy arose from an advertisement spotted on a London bus showing Filipino-British nurse May Parsons with the words: “The nurse who gave the first COVID-19 vaccine. A Filipina. We give the world the best. The Philippines.”

Social media users criticized the ad, some noting how it promoted the country’s “brain drain.” It also drew the reaction of Senate tourism committee chair Nancy Binay, who said that the brand seemed to “commodify” Filipinos.

In a statement on Saturday, May 13, Soriano said that the campaign “spearheads a long-term country branding initiative in line with the heart of the President to uplift the Filipino name and reputation in and around the world.”

Soriano said that his office had begun rolling out the campaign towards the end of 2022, aiming to make Filipinos proud of their heritage, wherever they may be. The Office of the Presidential Adviser on Creative Communications (OPACC) had briefed agencies like the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office, the Department of Migrant Workers, the Department of Tourism (DOT), and the Department of Trade and Industry.

OPACC also said it engaged several “respected and well-known creative directors” to prepare the communication materials for the project.

“The ad [with May Parsons] came out in time for King Charles III’s coronation in London, where a large international crowd was anticipated to attend the historic global event. Unfortunately, the London ad was misconstrued as part of the country’s tourism promotion campaign. OPACC wants to clear the confusion and clarify that it was not meant, in any way, to promote the country’s tourist destinations,” said Soriano.

Soriano said that videos advertisements of successful Filipinos in other countries were also released around the same time. More ads were beings planned in the United States and Middle East – top destinations of migrant Filipinos – “that will likewise focus on OFWs (overseas Filipino workers) making a name for themselves.”

“Through this country branding campaign, we want to uplift the spirit of our overseas Filipinos, and honor them particularly for their values that make Filipinos known to do their best at whatever chosen field, wherever they go and whatever it is they do. They truly deserve this,” said Soriano.

“Please allow me to reiterate that this project is NOT solely a tourism campaign. At its core, the project intends to let the whole world know how good, compassionate and competent Filipinos are. Filipinos bring their ‘best’ through daily actions that touch lives all over the world,” he added.

Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco also defended the slogan, saying that the Philippines giving the world its best is a “statement of fact.”

“There is a sea of opinions about this. But I would like to remind our fellow Filipinos that the statement ‘We give the world our best’ is a statement of fact. Do you not agree? Is it not true that our Filipino workers all over the world have shown nothing less than a devotion to duty, commitment to responsibility, a willingness to go the extra mile, to serve with love and compassion?” said Frasco in an event on Thursday, May 11.

Film director Soriano is an appointee of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who, even before being elected president, announced plans to copy the labor export policy of his father, the late dictator Ferdinand E. Marcos, in the 1970s.

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Various interpretations

De La Salle University communication professor Jason Cabañes noted the various ways that the OPACC’s campaign could be interpreted by its international consumers.

In an email to Rappler prior to the release of Soriano’s statement, Cabañes said non-Filipinos who would encounter the new country campaign slogan might find it familiar, as it resonates with a “dominant trope that our society deploys when it comes to describing our people,” especially Filipino workers who have “world-class” talent, hospitality, and care.

“Some might say that this slogan is a good thing, given that it feeds into this ‘world-class’ branding of Filipinos. This, in turn, can contribute to foreigners having a positive view of our country and our people. They might want to experience what this means by visiting the Philippines. Or they might want to invest in our people or in our businesses,” Cabañes said.

“But at the same time, we need to be careful about using this idea of the Philippines offering its best to the world. We cannot divorce this idea from the realities of our country. Here I am referring specifically to the Philippines’ colonial history of subjugation and its contemporary postcolonial condition of still being exploited by today’s global powers,” he added.

Cabañes also said that he “worried” about how the messaging might impact Filipino migrants and their families.

For those who migrated due to opportunities that arose with potential advance their careers, “it is more likely that being abroad is emblematic of how the Filipino is truly world class and can conquer the globe. So in this sense, the slogan might be resonant,” he said.

The message, however, might be taken differently by those who migrated out of necessity to provide for their loved ones.

“[Migrating] entails many sacrifices, such as enduring long periods of separation from their partners and their children. For these migrant Filipinos, the slogan might be tone deaf, as it glosses over the hardships they have to go through because there are not enough opportunities to make a decent living here in the Philippines,” said Cabañes.

The Philippine Statistics Authority pegged the number of OFWs at 1.83 million in 2021. – Rappler.com