By Ma. Stella F. Arnaldo / Special to the BusinessMirror
A LAWMAKER will be looking into the Department of Tourism’s (DOT) advertising spending and media plan, in the wake of its reported P60-million media placement contract with PTV-4 Network Inc. (PTNI), which allegedly benefited the production company owned by the siblings of former Tourism Secretary Wanda Corazon T. Teo.
In a news statement, Sen. Nancy S. Binay, chairman of the Committee on Tourism, said: “Perhaps, we should find how the DOT rationalizes its local advertising placements and if they are congruent with strategic marketing and media plans of the department.” Binay has filed a resolution to investigate the matter.
According to the lawmaker, advertising strategies are crafted addressing a preconstituted audience to attracting new customers. “We also need to know if there are measurable results to the local placements made by the DOT and how are these different from the placements of the Tourism Promotions Board,” she added. The TPB is the marketing arm of the DOT.
As this developed, over 3,400 individuals showed their support to beleaguered former Tourism Secretary Ramon R. Jimenez Jr. after a case was filed against him by the National Bureau of Investigation over the highly successful “It’s More Fun in the Philippines” brand campaign the Philippine government launched in 2012.
The Facebook page “We support Mon J.” was established over the weekend, with a handful of participants, but quickly gained traction as word spread of its existence. Many of its page members are well-known advertising professionals, as well as tourism-industry stalwarts who have taken turns posting their experiences having worked with Jimenez or just sharing good thoughts and their well wishes. The members also include former and current officials and employees of the DOT.
In a text message to the BusinessMirror, Jimenez said: “I am so humbled by the trust and support. The truth has always been our strength—no matter how difficult it may be to defend sometimes.”
Of the NBI charges, he said: “The complaint against me and others is ironic because it centers on a media planning and buying reform program that would have prevented the PTV-4 controversy in the first place. Those who charged us didn’t bother to read the focus of their own complaint.”
He was earlier quoted as saying that he believed these NBI charges were brought against him and other DOT colleagues, to deflect the issue on the P60-million contract between Teo’s DOT and PTNI.
Previously open to the public, the page became a closed group last Sunday night, in keeping with the wishes of Jimenez to keep the focus on issues. According to web site administrator Margot Torres: “We are respecting Mon J’s wishes not to draw attention to him and distract people from the real issue. That is why we closed this group.”
Unknown to many, Jimenez was being recruited by the Duterte administration to remain in his post as DOT secretary, and continue his successful “It’s More Fun” brand campaign. Jimenez turned down the offer, however, ostensibly due to his promise to his late wife Abby Lee, also a well-known advertising executive, to not join the government anymore. Duterte economic adviser Carlos G. Dominguez III, who had yet to be appointed as finance secretary then, confirmed this. (See, “Duterte wants Tetangco back on the economic team,” in the BusinessMirror, May 13, 2016.)
In its report posted online on April 27, the Commission on Audit detailed that the state-run television network made the following payments last year to Bitag: P22,089,560 on May 11; P18.96 million on November 8; and P18.96 million on December 15.
There were reports that the deal to air the DOT’s TV commercials over PTV-4 lacked a memorandum of agreement, certificate of performance, duly approved budget-utilization request and billing statements.