TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - A Philippines advertising agency, DDB Philippines, issued an apology for using footage from another country, including Indonesia’s Bali, in its "Love the Philippines" tourism campaign. The promotional tourism video shows images of rice terraces in Bali, sand dunes in the United Arab Emirates, and an aircraft landing in Switzerland.

“While the use of stock footage in mood videos is standard practice in the industry, the use of foreign stock footage was an unfortunate oversight on our agency’s part,” DDB Philippines said, stressing that the campaign video should have followed a proper screening and approval process.

Philippines Secretary of Tourism, Christina Garcia Frasco, said in her statement that the Department of Tourism (DOT) had repeatedly sought confirmation from the advertising agency, that the material used was their own and authentic.

“DDB repeatedly assured the DOT that the originality and ownership of all materials are in order,” she claimed.

The ad was created as part of the US$900,000 "Love the Philippines" campaign, which was launched on June 27, 2023.

The use of foreign footage in the national tourism campaign was first uncovered by a French news agency AFP and Filipino blogger Sass Rogando Sasot. Sasot said in a Facebook post that the video shows a lake in Thailand, rice terraces in Bali, the Cumbuco desert in Northeastern Brazil, and sand dunes in the UAE.

Frasco said the department would hold DDB Philippines accountable for the video that had been removed. The company also said it would assist the tourism department in the investigation.

Tegalalang rice terrace is one of the famous tourist attractions in Bali. Located about 8 kilometers from Ubud, this tourist site can be reached within 15-20 minutes from the center of Ubud.

In addition to its stunning scenery, the rice fields are a place to preserve the traditional Balinese irrigation system, which has been used since the 9th century dubbed Subak.

Tegalalang rice terrace in Ubud of Bali is also listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. This heritage consists of five rice terraces and water temples that cover 19,500 hectares.

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