Tuesday, January 23, 2007 Speak Out: Perception By Marjorie Ceniza Cebu
WE ARE stuck in a battle on perception. After all, reputation has always been among our valued priorities. Reputation is not only what we make of or claim to have, but also on how others perceive us.
The 12th Asean summit, for example, is one of those battles on perception. Why did our government spend P555 million for the summit? Why paint the roofs of squatter houses near CICC? And why spend almost P90,000 for a street lamp alone?
It is not just a manifestation of our hospitable nature. I believe it is not just to make our guests feel comfortable, but it is also a matter of our visitors liking our place.
Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia, in response to insinuations that the local government allotted a huge budget for the summit but had been unable to provide housing to homeless Cebuanos, said that all the preparations were not lavish. These were, in fact, long-term investments that every Cebuano would benefit from three to five years from now. How?
I presume through the fruits of good perception. We strive to be liked in the hopes that this would boost our country’s image and attract investors. The logic does make sense despite the fact that a P90,000-street lamp seems too costly.
Our country has made continuous efforts to promote tourism. We have the “Wow! Philippines” program. We cannot attract investors and tourists just by what we have.
The preparations that we had made and the nearly half a billion pesos that we spent for the summit were meant to make our guests say, “Wow.”
