DOT told to be cautious after erroneous Banaue Rice Terraces poster in NAIA

Senator Loren Legarda on Tuesday told the Department of Tourism (DOT) to be more cautious in their advertisement after the erroneous 'Banaue Rice Terraces in Benguet' poster recently went viral on social media.

Legarda made the reminder during the Senate finance subcommittee hearing on the Department of Tourism and its attached agencies' proposed P3.394 billion budget for the next fiscal year.

"Let's be very, very careful with accuracy. Otherwise, we're marketing the wrong provinces...Be careful...It really triggers me pag mga mali (if there are errors). Stupidities," Legarda said.

Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco tagged the incident as "a most unfortunate oversight," but assured the Senate panel that they have already taken down these materials.

"This was the DOT branding unit which outsourced the placement of the erroneous advertorial material. When the matter was brought to our attention, the erroneous material was taken down in the immediate and a comprehensive sweep of all materials in the thousands all over the world was conducted," Frasco said.

Legarda explained that the mistake of the advertising agency would reflect on Frasco and the government.

"Everybody makes mistakes, but they should be more careful and they should not waste, not just the wastage of govt resources but also the embarrassment. It is unfair to the secretary, she faces the world. It's unfair to us, senators, we face the public," she stressed.

"It's not a vice. It's not a luxury. It's a basic need to be accurate and factual. We owe it to our public," she added.

According to DOT Assistant Secretary Gissela Marie Quisimbing, all advertisements of the agency are now going through proper vetting and a "tedious process" from start to finish.

Legarda then asked the DOT to submit a report regarding this vetting process. — LA, GMA Integrated News