Sec. Cerge Remonde's Column (June 23 2009)

For brand Philippines 23 June 2009	.


AT the outset, I wish to thank the Philippine Marketing Association sincerely, for engaging government in this Marketing Crisis Summit on the occasion of PMA's 55th Anniversary. Yes, We Can! Yes, We Will! Yes, We Are! The topic assigned to me today is the Role of Government in Boosting Brand Philippines! And yes, we are working on that brand. There are actually two ways to look at this, from two sides of the brand equation. What is Brand Philippines, do we have one? And what are the elements that support that brand, whatever it is? Of course, what immediately comes to mind is WOW Philippines! – our fairly recent foray into "branding" that earned us millions in tourist arrivals and tourism receipts. Our government today, I'm afraid to say, could be a good product in search of a "brand," in the classic sense of distinguishing ourselves from others, on the basis of our good "sell points." And I can tell you that we have quite a number of good points. Under the 2008-2010 Comprehensive and Integrated Infrastructure Program (CIIP), the government is investing trillions of pesos to develop infrastructure in the next decade to help achieve growth and raise our competitiveness in the international arena. The transportation sector has the highest share at 38 percent or R755 billion, followed by power electrification, R611 billion. Roads and bridges are being built in support of the government's thrust of linking the entire country through an effective transport network that would open up new economic opportunities, reduce logistic costs and increase access to social services. The government has increased activities to use geothermal and wind power which shows how forward-looking the country is today. We financed small but promising businesses through the highly successful Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise Financing Program that has lent R305.57 billion to 5.6 million beneficiaries since 2004, and in the process created some 2.5 million jobs. A number of them have gone into the global market; slowly making a name – a brand – of their own and for their country. The Arroyo administration the most number of anti-corruption initiatives that this country has ever seen “before, during, and after the Marcos regime. We also have the most notable achievements in the fight against shenanigans in government. And we have been gaining ground as can be seen in the surveys of the Hong Kong-based Political and Economic Risk Consultancy (PERC). Our efforts have further strengthened the international community's confidence in our capability and stability. The highly-respected New York Times, said that we are now outperforming most of our East and Southeast Asian neighbors. The article, written by Philip Bowring, said the Philippines expects a GDP growth of 2 to 3 percent this year – a rate superior to its East Asian peers except China and Vietnam, and a sharp contrast to the negative growths elsewhere. Some are already feeling the results of our efforts, based on the first quarter survey of the Social Weather Stations (SWS) where more adult Filipinos expected their personal life to improve in the next 12 months. Another recent survey by the SWS shows that in spite of the financial meltdown, self-rated poverty has been generally in a downtrend since mid-2008, declining from 59% in June 2008, 52% in September, 52% in December to 47% in February 2009. Hunger incidence continued to drop significantly - from 23.7% in December last year to 15.5% in February this year. A February 2009 Pulse Asia survey, on the other hand, revealed that from last year's 22%, the number of Filipinos who positively felt that life would become much better went up to 29%. The Pulse Asia Survey results matched that of Synovate, a global market research firm which found, in its February survey, that 43% of 1,000 Metro Manila respondents were optimistic that the Philippine economy would soon turn around. Besides the surveys on optimism among Filipinos, Moody's has maintained its positive outlook on the Philippines, while Reuters Poll has identified our country as one among the four Asian countries to post a positive growth this year. Given the foregoing, could resiliency Philippines be our brand? Also, billions of pesos have already been poured into training of workers which the President said is part of the human infrastructure in the education and healthcare sectors. The Arroyo administration has implemented pro-poor programs in what the President calls the three E's: education, environment and economy. These pro-poor programs are important in lifting our nation up and preparing it for the coming generations. The President, at all times, remains at the forefront in the effort to lessen the impact of the world economic crisis on the lives of Filipinos. She has just come back from visits to South Korea, Russia, US, Europe, the Middle East where she invited foreign investors to give thE Philippines a try and to seek more job and long-term employment opportunities for Filipinos. With all these accomplishments, at home and with our global partners, have we defined our image, or created that Philippine brand? Government media should set the lead in brand-creation as indeed we are. But we have a private media that is more than engaged and engaging – it is in fact among the freest here in Asia. The government, in some measure, is not entirely helpless. we have government television and radio. we have Philippine Information Agency and the different offices under the executive branch to help make sure that the people get a chance to see the true and more important picture... that the economy has been resilient, that more jobs are generated, more schools and road projects are being built, and that the world community continues to bestow its trust and confidence in the current leadership. Still, the challenge remains: How to best brand the Philippines and thus, create a unique and quality image that best positions the country vis-ă-vis the world to attract investors and tourists. Truly, one cannot but have better branding in the world market if your endorsements come in the form of actual heroic feats like those of boxing champion Manny "PacMan" Pacquiao, songbird Charisse Pempengco, "Journey" lead-vocalist Arnel Pineda and, lately, Cannes Film Festival Best Director winner Brillante Mendoza. No images can be more powerful than those of a Filipino in triumph. While the whole world knows little about us, it is the ability of our countrymen to surmount great odds and wind up on top that pictures us as a nation of "winners." These victories certainly render the task of making people take notice of our tiny group of 7,107 islands much easier. You may perhaps ask me now: "So what is government's answer to PGMA's call to battle amidst these trying economic times?" The answer is simple and straightforward: We can do it! We are doing it with our infrastructure programs. We are doing it with MSMEs. We are doing it in tourism promotions. We are doing it with our services and training programs. We are doing it in all fronts. With the strength of millions of Pacquiaos in our midst, the exuberance of youth of many more millions of Pempengcos, with the capacity to dream and achieve our goals as did Arnel Pineda and Brillante Mendoza... how can we not do it? Let all these dreams supercharge our bodies for the challenges that lay ahead... keep the faith in our government and leadership to chart the course... and let's deliver that knockout punch whenever challenged to do the impossible! Let's go for the golden belt, the world championship, and declare to all the world, yes we can...because we are a nation of winners!
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