The new tourism head

The new tourism secretary, Ramon Jimenez, comes to his office amid great expectations. This is a welcome challenge for him, he having been a successful marketing communicator for the last 35 years. His mission, he told the Bulong Pulungan media forum last week, “is to get everyone in the country involved in tourism.”

President Aquino, who had been on the search for good and bright men, had asked him if he wanted to join his Cabinet, but since the president did not specify a position, he politely declined the offer. What bravura, one would say, about turning down an unspecified offer. When the last tourism secretary was about to be retired from office, the president offered him the job and this time, Jimenez said, “You can’t say no to the president a second time.”

One of the first questions asked him at the BP and everywhere else, is what slogan is he replacing the failed ultra-expensive, “Pilipinas kay ganda,” of his predecessor. The 56-year-old bespectacled UP fine arts graduate said it will be the result of team thinking among paid creative agencies, the public and private sectors. That’s zillions of heads working together, and the result will be publicly unveiled by year’s end. He’s not saying what it would be, but he gave the clue that it has something to do with putting the Filipino as top tourism promoter.

It’s the Filipino, he said, who will make the tourism industry a success. He pointed to the success of the No. 1, second to none, tourist destination in the world — Spain — which has been made possible by the Spaniards thinking well of themselves as a people.

By far 80 percent of revenues come from local tourists, he said. People ask him, But how can more tourists — foreign or local — be encouraged to come to the Philippines? You lack infrastructure, you have no good hotels in the provinces, peace and order is bad in most places. But Mon is not daunted by such negatives. “Tourism begins with our ability to welcome visitors. This is most important. The ‘welcome’ means more than anything else.”

So much has been said about foreign visitors saying they like the Pinoys’ hospitality, warmth, forever smiling mien in the midst of their poverty. True, but Pinoys must be made aware of their outstanding virtues and made proud of being Filipino. In fact the 25 million Pinoys engaged in Facebook and Twitter can be the biggest tourist agents for their country, said Jimenez.

Jimenez’s target tourist arrival is four million, double last year’s figure. But, until we hit 10 million, he said, “We’re not in this business.”

The dream target is Russians, he said. “Russians tend to spend two weeks here.” They spend a lot more than tourists who stay three days and two nights here and spend $700.

Expectations on what Mon can do to stir up a moribund industry exceed the tourism department’s resources of P1.4 billion a year. But Mon, who comes on humble but sure he can make things turn around, said he told tourism attaches not to worry about not having money. “We overcome this by using the Filipino. The Filipino has the largest footprint in the communication business.” There are 25 million Filipinos who use Facebook and Twitter, and they communicate quickly and effectively in English.

As to the DOT’s meager resources, compared to those of Malaysia, India and Thailand, Mon said, not to worry. Those two countries in fact, “are worried about what we can do, knowing we don’t have the money.”

As to the comment that there’s hardly any tourist attraction in Manila aside from there being several five-star hotels, Mon mentioned the bamboo organ, and that 16 projects are being undertaken in Intramuros, like the reconstruction of the Ayuntamiento, the Independencia building, the Governor’s Palace, and the resurrection of the old Ateneo, as well as the revival of Binondo.

Mon is the founder and president of the marketing agency Winning Over Obstacles (WOO) Communication Corp., which helped with Aquino’s presidential campaign. He also founded leading agencies Jimenez & Partners, Jimenez D‘Arcy, and Publicis Jimenez Basic. His major partner is his wife, Abby, also a communications expert. Among their successful advertising projects were Selecta (which used the slogan, “Love Ourselves”), Jag Jeans, which overtook all other jeans projects, and National Bookstore.

Quite popular as tourism secretary in the past but who were changed because of politics were Richard Gordon (whose “Wow Philippine” could have been retained), and Mina Gabor. With Ramon Jimenez as the new tourism chief, one can sleep well and wake up to a brighter future for the country’s industry.

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Running for the position of chancellor of the University of the Philippines Los Baños-College of Agriculture is Domingo E. Angeles, who is Professor II, Crop Science Cluster, and current dean of the UPLB College of Agriculture.

A multi-awardee career professional, Angeles’s contribution to the discipline of horticulture includes addressing the lumpy fruit disorder of papaya which brought down the industry in Luzon through boron fertilization either by foliar spray or soil feeding using borax. He established the nutrient reference values for banana, coffee, citrus, tomato committee of the Department of Agriculture and Science and technology, and industry associations. He also became the head of the fruit crops nursery and orchard of the Department of Horticulture which produced planting materials of fruit crops.

As dean of the UPLB College of Agriculture, he provided leadership in planning and implementing of curricular, R, D and E and resource generating programs and in enhancing the technical services extended by the college to all sectors.

Dean Angeles says seeking leadership is his “personal oblation — a humble offering to the institution that is most instrumental I what I have achieved and what I have become. It is giving back to our nation and people who helped pull me up by my bootstraps and carried me on their backs that I may see broader horizons and reach greater heights.”

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