Philippine senators call for long-term tourism slogan

Philippine senators have urged the Department of Tourism to adopt a long-term marketing slogan, pointing to Malaysia’s “Malaysia, Truly Asia” campaign as an example of consistent international branding. The proposal was raised during a departmental budget hearing involving newly appointed Tourism Secretary Dita Angara-Mathay. Senator Erwin Tulfo asked about the future of “Love the Philippines”, the department’s current slogan, and criticised the repeated changes made under successive administrations.

Tulfo said the Philippines had used slogans including “Wow Philippines” and “It’s More Fun”, and warned that another rebranding could follow the 2028 presidential election. He cited Malaysia’s campaign, which has remained in use since its launch in 1999. Tulfo filed a bill that would require the Philippines to retain an official tourism slogan for at least 15 years.

He argued that frequent changes create discontinuity, weaken public familiarity and require substantial resources for rebranding and implementation. Senate finance committee chairman J.V. Ejercito backed the proposal.

Angara-Mathay also said a permanent slogan would be preferable, while expressing support for retaining “Love the Philippines” because it reflected Filipino warmth, care and hospitality. A ranking by the digital travel platform Asia Guide placed “Malaysia, Truly Asia” first globally and “Love the Philippines” ninth, behind slogans associated with India, Thailand and Indonesia. The supplied material did not give details of the ranking’s methodology.

The tourism department and its subsidiaries have proposed a 4 billion peso budget for next year. Angara-Mathay said the department would focus on visitor spending, investment and jobs, as well as infrastructure, gateways and air connectivity ahead of the Asean Leaders’ Summit, which the Philippines will host.