I myself am sometimes turned off by the shock tactics employed by Greenpeace to further the cause of the environment, but I realized later that it's all for our own good anyway, and at least, there's a group of people who really care for the environment, and if a shock tactic is something that can get the attention of normally, staid governments, so be it.
Here in the Philippines, the group is campaigning for a targeted 50% renewable energy source use by 2020 - a target, I think, which is achievable, since our country is rich in natural resources. We can use solar power, wind power, hydroelectric power and geothermal power - in a way, we have it all! If we only have the government will power to harness all of them, then, we are on the road to meeting our renewable source energy targets.
The past administration have called our OFWs 'heroes', which they rightly are, but it is a great shame for our society to face that it is our poor who are actually sustaining our economy and keeping it afloat - since we don't have a strong manufacturing or industrial sector. I don't know how strong our agriculture and fishing sector are - but gauging from how many of the young want to go in that direction - I don't think it's something we can be proud of. It is the monthly padala of our OFWs that have kept everything up and about - and at least now - with more confidence in PNoy's government - foreign investors are once again eyeing us in terms of capital inflow in our stock market and investments in our economy. We are just too dependent on the OFW remittances and it's time we slowly build a stronger economy, that which actually makes things or at least offer services that the world needs - something that today's BPOs are currently doing.
Monsters like their family should have to pay for their sins - and massacring 58 people, thinking that no one would notice - is really abominable. They are our equivalent of the serial killers - which are commonplace in Western society. If we had a serial killer - their family members fit the description to a T.
Yes, I am for the televising of their trial. I'm not sure if I'm going to be watching it regularly, but I'm sure many of our fellowmen are! At least that way, a lot of people, are keeping close tabs in ensuring these maggots go to jail where they deserve to be. I don't trust our justice system enough and I really hope they can wrap this trial up quick! The 58 people who gave their lives should be given justice.
I admit it's not going to be easy for an exporting company like ours to survive in that environment where the peso exchange rate is just 39 pesos to a US dollar. I am just thankful that as early as now, we have instituted changes within the company to make sure we survive that very low conversion rate. It increases our cost of doing business and we might have to increase prices to cover the difference. Unfortunately, the local Philippine market is not yet very receptive to our type of content business so we just have to focus again on the foreign market and just increase our market share or enter countries which we are not strong yet - like New Zealand or Australia.
I love traveling abroad and I don't think it's the marketing campaign that got me there. But yes, marketing campaigns like Amazing Thailand or Malaysia Truly Asia or Incredible India just helped confirm my expectations of these places, after I've visited them.
So I guess an updated marketing campaign to counter the recent spate of negative perception of our country could probably help spruce up our image abroad. However, what I think is more important than that, is that more good news of our country will be broadcast abroad. Manny Pacquiao's recent win is one of them. The positive economic news is another. Hopefully, good governing policies from Pnoy. I think those could help spruce up our image abroad.
When I pick a country to visit, I will always be held back if there's bad news about that country. Images of rallies or strikes or news of crime against tourists would certainly hold me back. We cannot control the news but the government can project that it is in full control when crisis happens - whether it be a natural disaster or a hostage taking. Even if we have a fancy marketing campaign, it can easily be shot down by images of a cop hostaging foreign tourists which is then magnified all over the world!
If the government can show the world that foreign tourists will be safe here (we are a safe place, but we have to show it explicitly to prospective tourists), then we may have won half of the bottle. It's not difficult to sell what our country can offer. We have so many fabulous places for tourists to visit. What is difficult is to convince them that they will not be beheaded here or be shot by a corrupt cop.
