The genius of Ramon Jimenez Jr.

Tourism Secretary Mon Jimenez with Department of Tourism officials and the Philippine Association of Convention, Exhibition Organizers and Suppliers who organized the first ever Madrid Fusion Philippines on the last day of Madrid Fusion 2016. —CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

I’d like to dedicate today’s column to the brilliant man who played a great part in putting Philippine cuisine on the world map and who was responsible for the tagline, “It’s more fun in the Philippines”: former Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez Jr., who passed away last April 27.

A member of the great Jimenez clan of the late Inquirer editor in chief, Letty Jimenez-Magsanoc, the advertising great was an untainted public servant whose work as Tourism chief has withstood the tests of time and changing of the guards.

Department of Tourism

While he served only from 2011 to 2016, “It’s More Fun in the Philippines” lives on, thanks in part to the humble acknowledgment of current Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat that this is a slogan that works and can be used to this day.

“Even when I was still in the Department of Agriculture [as Undersecretary], I always supported and used the ‘It’s More Fun in the Philippines’ tagline,” Romulo-Puyat recalls. “The campaign really applied to almost everything Filipino, including our food and the farms that they came from.”

But beyond the Philippines’ battle cry, she remembers Jimenez’s generosity with ideas. “What I remember the most about [Secretary Jimenez] was his passion in sharing his knowledge to others. I know many will grieve Mon’s death because they lost a mentor. Now, in his shoes as the [Department of Tourism] secretary, I see the many people he inspired with his creativity in the organization, and the countless others who are proud and eager to show the world what the Philippines has to offer.”

Assistant Tourism Secretary Verna Buensuceso, who had the opportunity to work with Jimenez for the international food conference Madrid Fusion, also has this to say: “Sec. Mon was a truly inspirational leader, motivating us to take on bold missions with results far greater than what we ever dreamed of accomplishing.”

Paceos

For others in the tourism industry, though, he was more than just a mentor. Joel Pascual, president of the Philippine Association of Convention, Exhibition Organizers and Suppliers (Paceos), which was in charge of logistics for Madrid Fusion Philippines, calls him Yoda.

“On a personal level, I saw him as a Yoda. Genius he is. Comforting he is. Even when things seemed to be going wrong in the projects we were doing together, Sec. Mon, being soft-spoken but so full of wisdom, was always a calming figure. But I guess more than Yoda, Sec. Mon was like a dad … He was never shy to share what’s in his head and infect you with what is in his heart.”

For the industry, he was a real legend. “For Paceos, we got to witness the legend at work … we were truly able to experience getting into his great mind and shared in the love he had for Philippine tourism. Every meeting with him was an affair to look forward to, because we just couldn’t wait to listen to his words and be infected by the very passion with which he dispensed his job,” Pascual recalls.

Cabinet

Former Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima reminds us there were other successful international events that the Philippines hosted under Jimenez, not just Madrid Fusion.

On his Facebook wall, Purisima mentioned working with Jimenez when the country hosted the Asian Development Bank and World Economic Forum meetings “where we showcased the best of Philippine hospitality to world leaders.”

Purisima also noted the legacy of Jimenez in terms of economic development.

“At the end of his tenure, tourist arrivals and revenues had almost doubled, with the Philippines improving 20 places in the World Economic Forum’s Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index. Mon’s tireless contributions to put the Philippines on the world map resulted in millions of Filipinos benefiting from the third leg of the Philippine economy,” Purisima stressed.

But of course, it was his creative genius that many will remember best.

Purisima noted that even in Cabinet meetings, this was invaluable: “He had a knack for communicating and a talent for creativity: I always asked my team to consult and defer to him in seeing how best to present the story of the Philippine economy. Mon’s analytical mind was indispensable in Cabinet meetings; he had a unique and creative way of looking at things and never suffered from a shortage of imagination.”

Storyteller

The former Finance chief also wrote so beautifully about Jimenez’s legacy as a storyteller.“Mon always told everyone—his colleagues and staffers alike—that when we communicate, we ought to only throw one coin. Without one, the message does not get across; any more and the message gets lost. ‘What’s the coin today?’ has become his catchphrase. If Sec. Mon has left us one coin to remember him by, it is that we can always imagine better: better solutions to our wicked problems, better ways to communicate hard truths, and a better world for us all to live in. In uncertain and difficult times like this, there is no better way to keep his memory alive than to keep imagining forward.

What a beautiful example of a life.

When he is asked by his Master what he did with the talents entrusted to him, Secretary Jimenez will proudly be able to point to the Philippines and say that he not only doubled the talents but made enough for an entire nation to enjoy and to benefit many generations to come.

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