311. 311. Ministry of Tourism’s, HUWAG MAGING DAYUHAN SA SARILING BAYAN Campaign, 1986-87

 

"REDISCOVER THE PHILIPPINES", launch Print Ad

MOT’s  domestic tourism campaign  for 1986-87 was assigned to hotshot Ace-Saatchi & Saatchi Advertising, which was on a roll for its string of major creative awards in the local and international front. Again, it came up with a winning theme that DOT approved and which the agency executed under Creative Directors Cid Reyes and Jimmy Santiago.: “Huwag Maging Dayuhan sa Sariling Bayan” (English version: “Don’t be a Stranger in Your Own Paradise”).

LISTEN TO THE MOT JINGLE "Huwag Maging Dayuhan"

The campaign was rolled out using black and white illustrated print ads, as a planned tro-media campaign did not materialize due to budget limitations. Meanwhile, radio jingle studies with lyric  written by Jimmy Santiago (Pilipino version) and Alex Castro (English version) were produced by award-winning composer Caloy Agawa. These were never used, however, as the campaign had a very limited run. In any case, the slogan “Huwag Maging Dayuhan sa Sariling Bayan”, was used intermittently in DOT promotional materials, till the rest of the decade.

AYALA MUSEUM, "Huwag Maging Dayuhan" Print Ad

150. THE LOST JINGLES OF D.O.T.: "Huwag Maging Dayuhan sa Sariling Bayan”, ca. 1986-87

It was just  after the People Revolution, sometime in late 1986. Filipinos were still reeling from the events of February when a peaceful revolution ousted Marcos which forced him to flee the country. 

Everyone was getting ready for a clean start, and one priority was rebuilding the battered economy. The DEPARTMENT OF TOURISM, under the new leadership of Sec. Antonio Gonzales, with undersecretary Narzalina Lim, decided to ask the help of advertising agencies to come up with a concept for the country’s Domestic Tourism campaign.

It made sense to call upon Filipinos first to rediscover their own, beautiful country as nationalistic pride was at its highest at this time. Ace-Saatchi & Saatchi Advertising was asked to pitch an idea, and the creative team--led by Creative Director Jimmy F. Santiago, who eventully wrote the slogan-- came up with a winning campaign theme that is still being quoted to this day: “Huwag Maging Dayuhan sa Sariling Bayan” (English translation” Don’t Be A Stranger in your Own Paradise”).

Part of the agency pitch was the presentation of jingle studies so that the concept can be better illustrated, and these two initial studies, with different melodies for the two versions  (Pilipino and English), were composed by jinglemaker, Caloy Agawa. For some reason, the D.O.T. jingle project  never pushed through, and these two studies were never finalized and produced.

For the first time, these jingles are being presented here:

LISTEN TO "HUWAG MAGING DAYUHAN" 

JINGLE HERE:

 LISTEN TO "DON'T BE A STRANGER 

IN YOUR OWN PARADISE" JINGLE HERE:

CREDITS:

AGENCY: ACE SAATCHI & SAATCHI ADVERTISING

CREATIVE DIRECTORS: Cid Reyes, Ramon Jimenez Jr., Jimmy F. Santiago

LYRICISTS: Pilipino Version: Jimmy F. Santiago / English Lyrics: Alex R. Castro

COMPOSER: Caloy Agawa / PRODUCER: Paul Suarez