Tugade to Government Employees: Be Free from Corruption and Poor Sense of Service

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Department of Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Arthur P. Tugade went back to his native Cagayan to commemorate the country’s 119th Independence Day, and took the opportunity to meet with local transportation officials, inspect the airport, and lecture about corruption.

Tugade, who came with Land Transportation Office (LTO) Chief Edgar Galvante and some DOTr officials, was welcomed by Cagayan Governor Manuel Mamba and other local officials. In his speech, Tugade outlined modern connotations and significance of independence.

“Independence Day is a commemoration, but every day is a celebration of Independence,” Tugade said. “Sa araw-araw na pamumuhay ay maaaring makamit ng isang indibidwal ang kaniyang kalayaan maging sa pinaka-simpleng pamamaraan na kapaki-pakinabang sa pangkalahatan.”

He went on to enumerate what it really takes to be free during these times. Among them is to stop tolerating procrastination, laziness, and narrow-mindedness and being contented with mediocre results and. Tugade also asked everyone to stop the blame game especially among administrations, which is a source of division in society.

“Ngayon na ang panahon upang palayain natin ang ating mga kaisipan sa nakaugaliang sisihan. Tama na ang turuan! Ang tanong nga sa akin ng ilan: “Bakit hindi natapos ang mga proyekto noong nakaraang pamunuan?” Ang sagot ko: “Huwag ninyo akong tanungin ng ganyan. Tanungin niyo ako kung paano at kailan ko tatapusin ‘yan,” Tugade said.

Tugade also urged government employees to free themselves of a corrupt system and a poor sense of public service. He reiterated this during a meeting with local officials from the LTO, Philippine Coast Guard, Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines, and Maritime Industry Authority.


The transportation chief ended his Independence Day visit with an inspection of the Tuguegarao and Lallo airports in Cagayan. He directed CAAP officials to equip the Tuguegarao airport with night landing capabilities this year to allow it to accommodate flights after sunset.

Is It More Fun When You Experience The Philippines?

Wazzup Pilipinas!

A perfect place to stay in the world is in the Philippines - the Pearl of the Orient seas of Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. The essence of paradise is the wonders of every island - All 7,641 of them.

We all aim to share this wonderful country with the rest of the world by inviting them to come over and Experience the Philippines. 

But what's your take about the DOT's new tagline campaign "Experience the Philippines"?

Experiential, not a rip-off. The Tourism department, together with the ad agency they hired for this campaign, denies they copied a South African tourism ad after netizens pointed out the striking similarities of the two ads.

But do we really need to change our tourism slogan?

The Department of Tourism - Philippines (DOT) spent millions (Php650 million) for the #ExperienceThePhilippines campaign, which I believe is unnecessary since the #ItsMoreFunInThePhilippines still works fine...and is more engaging and meaningful for many.

Louis Xavier and His World Refugee Day Video

Wazzup Pilipinas!

"June 20 is World Refugee Day. 

I wrote a song dedicated to the 65 million fellowmen forcibly displaced around the globe. This song "Keep holding on" was recorded live in my home studio, then produced a lyric video featuring heartbreaking refugee drawings. 

I was in the middle of this project when the Marawi City battle started, and just like that, we have Filipino refugees. Wars and persecution have driven more people from their homes than at any time since UN refugee records began.

On June 20, as the world celebrates World Refugee Day, sharing this Lyric video thru Wazzup Pilipinas would be meaningful to our kababayans especially in the south. 

Help me share this song of hope to all refugees around the globe, including the volunteers that always lend a helping hand. Keep holding on. " -  Louis Xavier

Louis Xavier is a singer-songwriter upcoming pop artist based in Manila. He is a finalist in the UK Songwriting Contest--one of the world's most popular, longest running and established songwriting events. He plays piano and guitar, mixes and produces his demo songs in his own studio. Iin 2015 Louis Xavier appeared in Sprite’s Klaro ang diskarte TV Commercial as “Jhunard the Rocker guy “ He is currently busy finishing his first self-titled album.

Here's a teaser of "Explode" single, one of the songs included on the album.