'Smiles for the World' photo contest launched

MANILA, Philippines - The Embassy of Chile in Manila, in partnership with various institutions including The Philippine STAR, launched yesterday a nationwide photo essay competition that aims to promote a Philippine brand and boost the country’s tourism industry.

The photo contest, dubbed “Smiles for the World,” is open to Filipinos, according to Chilean Ambassador Roberto Mayorga. The mechanics of the contest will be announced soon.

Mayorga and Brazilian Ambassador George Ney de Souza Fernandes led the project launch at the University of Santo Tomas yesterday.

“The photo will be accompanied with a message addressed to other countries of the earth, inviting them to a more friendly, peaceful and compassionate world,” Mayorga said in his speech.

He said the photo essay competition is an offshoot of “Calidad Humana: Breaking the Ground (A Life Well Spent),” an essay writing contest launched by the Chilean embassy last year in partnership with UST and the University of Asia and the Pacific. Calidad humana means the “quality of being human.”

Aside from The STAR, the other organizers of this year’s photo essay contest are the Embassy of Brazil, Ateneo de Manila University, De La Salle University, University of the Philippines, Coca-Cola Philippines, McDonald’s, and the Cultural Center of the Philippines.

“The Calidad Humana project, although it is a cultural and human initiative, can complement the extraordinary campaign that the Department of Tourism headed by Secretary Ramon Jimenez is doing to promote tourism,” Mayorga said.

Tourism Assistant Secretary Benito Bengzon Jr., who represented Jimenez, said the competition would provide “a very good opportunity to show the cheerfulness, resiliency and compassion of our people.”

“If there is one Filipino expression that depicts Calidad Humana, it is our smile. A smile that is warm, straight from the heart and infectious,” Bengzon said.

“We also consider this contest as a very good springboard to tap the South American travel market, especially Chile and Brazil,” he said.

Bengzon said more than 2,500 visitors from South America arrived in the country in the first half of 2012, a 22 percent increase from the same period last year.

The DOT aims to achieve 10 million tourist arrivals by 2016 through its intensive tourism campaign, “It’s More Fun in the Philippines,” launched last January.