EJKs and tourism

“If you feel like there’s something out there that you’re supposed to be doing, if you have a passion for it, then stop wishing and just do it.” -Wanda Sykes, comedienne

LAST week, Tourism Secretary Wanda Corazon Teo zeroed in on the media for making it hard for her to sell the country to tourists by the latter’s “pesky” reportage of the extrajudicial killings. To be fair to her, she also mentioned Vice President Leni Robredo for mentioning the Duterte administration’s bloody war on drugs in a taped video message to the United Nations.

I say Teo zeroed in on media because Robredo only mentioned this administration’s bloodlust once in that taped message while we, the media, apparently won’t stop reporting on the killings.

In an interview, Teo asked media to “tone down statements and coverage on EJKs… It’s making my job of selling the Philippines more difficult.”

I commiserate with the good secretary. I can only imagine the difficulty of the position she’s in. How do you entice tourists to visit the country when Filipinos are getting killed left and right? So, let me extend an olive branch then.

Since the good secretary has identified the media as the culprit, methinks it’s only befitting that we in media should help her out. I launched a crowd sourcing of sorts on Facebook. I asked colleagues how they would sell the Philippines to tourists through an advertisement pitch or blurb.

Mine was, “Philippines: Where you can rest in peace.”

I even posted a caveat telling them that by posting on my crowd sourcing post, they give me expressed permission to quote their ad blurbs on my next column. So here are what my colleagues in media offer:

“We’ll love you to death.” –Nonoy Espina

“Live your (after) life to the fullest in the Philippines.” – Chino Gaston

“There’s more fans in the Philippines, where people can easily rest in peace.” – Chris Panganiban

“Enjoy Boracay! It’s (war) free.” – Froilan Gallardo

“Come to the Cordilleras and have a taste of heaven.” – Kimberlie Quitasol

Meanwhile, Erwin Mascariñas took it to another level and submitted a suggested copy for an entire brochure: “Up for an adventure? Experience real-life death-defying tours. Join our Tokhang urban slum adventure raids and get a chance to see and experience a turkey shot like no other. Book now and avail our special riding in tandem promo.”

Meanwhile, Rigoberto “Bobi” Tiglao just commented that “actually our infrastructure can’t accommodate any tourists anymore.”

The one to beat, however, was from my igso Elson Elizaga – “p***ng ina, bumalik kayo dito!” It encapsulates the kind of vocabulary the president uses and it has a macho ring to it, much like the president’s default posture.

I know the ad-blurb suggestions are sarcastic and borders on snarky. But what kind of answer does one get with a ridiculous request?

In that same interview in Thailand, by the way, the good secretary also mentioned that her department is finding it hard to sell the country because of the President Digong Dada’s proclivity to bash the major sources of tourists – the United States and the European Union.

Teo admitted in the interview that they get nervous “every time he (Duterte) opens his mouth.” She said every time that happens “they release a press statement on the developments in our agency, just to distract the public from what the President said.”

I actually feel sorry for Teo. I know how it’s like to have a lippy boss who is not afraid of running it to the chagrin of the subordinates.

So, what she’s actually requesting media is not only to “tone down” reportage of the killings but to “distract the public” from what is really happening across the country.

Nobody is painting anything. It’s this regime that is painting itself into a corner. Journalists are not out to “destroy” this country’s reputation. This regime is doing a banged up job all on its own.

I’d like to end by quoting the statement of the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines: “It would be better if, instead of asking us to ‘tone down’ the killings, you ask the President to order an end to them. That way, we could truthfully report that the killing season is over and the Philippines is, well, ‘more fun.’”