Former Tourism Secretary Ramon “Mon” R. Jimenez Jr. passed away yesterday. He was 64.
Albay Rep. Joey Salceda was among the first people to send their condolences on the passing of the former DoT chief.
“Rest in peace former Tourism Sec. Mon Jimenez,” Salceda wrote on Facebook.
Jimenez, who served as DoT secretary from 2011 to 2016, was behind the country’s popular tourism campaign, “It’s More Fun in the Philippines.”
Under his leadership in the DoT, the Philippines improved its ranking in the Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index of the World Economic Forum, jumping from 94 in 2011 to 74 in 2015.
The World Bank said Jimenez was able to transform the DoT “into a primary selling unit whose ultimate goal is not only to improve statistics but also to ensure that every tourism success would include and benefit as many Filipinos as possible.”
Prior his appointment at the DoT, Jimenez worked in the field of advertising for 35 years.
Jimenez worked for advertising companies such as Ace-Saatchi & Saatchi Advertising, where he served as vice president and executive director.
The Pacific Asia Travel Association dubbed Jimenez as “one of the pillars of the nation’s advertising industry.”
Jimenez was also a recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Creative Guild of the Philippines for “his contributions to creative excellence.”
Jimenez was a graduate of the University of the Philippines-Diliman with a degree in Fine Arts Major in Visual Communications. (Noreen Jazul)