24 Oras report: P-Noy says, "We will no longer use 'Pilipinas kay Ganda' slogan."

Following widespread criticism and plagiarism allegations, the controversial "Pilipinas Kay Ganda" tourism campaign has been officially scrapped, reports ABS-CBNNews.com. The announcement was made by President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III during boxing hero Manny Pacquiao's courtesy call on November 20.

Department of Tourism Secretary Alberto Lim said he asked for the President's blessing to scrap the project. He added that the department was supposed to issue a press release about it on November 22. "We were one in this decision. It's because of the people's reaction. And you know that the people are our bosses," Lim said in the ABS-CBNNews.com report.

The DOT now plans to consult branding experts and present a new marketing plan to the President. "We're back to the beginning. But now, there's no rush. That's the lesson we learned," Lim said.

Aquino and Lim are open to having Pacquiao become a poster boy for Philippine tourism. Lim said, "People all over the world know Pacquiao. So they can say 'Ah, Philippines, Pacman!' The connection is immediate."

Meanwhile, ABS-CBNNews.com reports that the advertising agency behind the "Pilipinas Kay Ganda" concept, Campaigns and Grey, has "distanced themselves from the controversy." In a statement, the agency said they "repeatedly warned" the DOT against launching or even providing a preview of the "study." They said they "neither had a contract nor received a single centavo" for their efforts. According to an ABS-CBNNews.com report, Lim said he is grateful for Campaigns and Grey's help.

24 Oras report: Pinoys urged to pitch new tourism campaign online

The DOT encouraged the public to give suggestions for the new slogan. To collect logo and tagline suggestions, a man who prefers to remain anonymous put up a Facebook page called "DOT D.I.Y. (Do It Yourself)." GMANews.tv reports that the deadline for submissions is on November 24, and all the contributions will be sent to the DOT.

For more on this story, log on to ABS-CBNNews.com and GMANews.tv .