NYC’s Fil Am Deputy Mayor assumes...

surrounded us when we were there. My dad is one of 23 kids. He’s the youngest. Being surrounded by family was a very special experience,” she said.

When asked about the valuable lessons instilled by her parents, Maria emphasized the importance of not taking things for granted and the value of hard work in achieving one’s goals. Gratitude and giving back were core principles ingrained in her upbringing, thanks to the mentors, supporters, and her own family who taught her the significance of acknowledging those who helped her along the way and extending a helping hand to those in need.

The deputy mayor grew up at a time when her parents were still trying to adjust to their newfound lives in America. Their story, she said, is typical of the immigrant experience, where parents make a lot of sacrifices to immigrate to the United States with the hope of providing their children a better opportunity.

Track Record

Torres-Springer has a long track record of public service in New York City, having led three city agencies with over 3,000 employees and approximately $2 billion in annual operating budgets, addressing some of the city’s most significant public policy challenges.

As commissioner of the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development, she oversaw the financing of approximately 60,000 affordable homes — the most over any two-year period in the agency’s history. She also helped develop comprehensive plans for investments in Inwood, Downtown Far Rockaway, Jerome Avenue, and other neighborhoods; advanced initiatives to promote innovations in design and construction; and launched several new programs to protect tenants’ rights. She has served as board chair of the New York City Housing Development Corporation and as a board member of the New York City Housing Authority.

As the first woman to serve as president of NYCEDC, she led the implementation of the citywide NYC Ferry service and oversaw major investments in key sectors of the city’s economy. Working closely with community leaders, she also spearheaded several neighborhood revitalization plans across the city.

As commissioner of the New York City Department of Small Business Services, she prioritized efforts to raise wages and support women- and immigrant- owned businesses. She also launched Women Entrepreneurs NYC and worked to prepare New Yorkers for 21st-century jobs through the Tech to Talent Pipeline program.

Torres-Springer earned a bachelor’s degree in ethics, politics, and economics from Yale University and a master’s degree in public policy from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

Deputy Mayor TorresSpringer will continue to report to First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright.

“Maria Torres-Springer has been one of the primary drivers of our administration’s efforts to build more of the housing New Yorkers so desperately need and build it faster in every corner of our city,” said First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright. “She has a long record of delivering results at the highest levels of city government and of partnering with impacted communities to ensure their voices are heard and their needs are being met. There could not be a better choice to continue the work started by the chief housing officer and her team, and I am excited to continue working with Deputy Mayor TorresSpringer to keep this city affordable for working- and middle-class families in all five boroughs.” n

She said the latest initiative “translates to everything that permeates our sense of hospitality and service as a tourism industry. ‘We give the world our best’ is a statement of fact. It is a rallying call.

“And it is [an] aspiration for those who may still face a host of challenges and through government intervention will finally have the opportunity to be developed and fully maximized.”

In a recent engagement with local tourism frontliners, she said, “The DoT (Department of Tourism) will subsequently come out with a tourism brand for the Philippines, aligned with the country brand, and enhancing the present tagline.”

Bob Zozobrado, current president of the Tourism Congress of the Philippines, said, “She (Secretary Frasco) assured me and all the other travel organizations that this is not a tourism slogan.”

He added, “She would consult us first before crafting a new tourism slogan.”

The concept of launching a fresh tourism branding initiative, however, did not appear to stir strong interest nor build excitement among industry professionals and stalwarts.

Well-known chef Myrna Segismundo said, “There’s going to be a new tagline again?

“Everything changes every time a new administration comes in. Since there is no continuity, everything is always just beginning.”

Jojo Clemente, president of Rajah Tours Philippines, echoed the popular sentiment of the private sector, which saw no need to abandon the immensely successful “It’s More Fun in the Philippines” campaign, a brainchild of the then-Tourism chief Ramon Jimenez Jr., and launched in 2012. Clemente observed, “It’s a slogan that works and continues to do so. It put the country on the radar of foreign markets. It encapsulates the country, its people and what’s best about the Philippines.”

Zozobrado agreed with his colleague, saying, “It’s more fun” gave us the arrival numbers we needed. The momentum is already there. If we come up with a new slogan. We may start from scratch all over again.”

Alejandra Clemente, who founded Rajah Tours Philippines and is a pioneering pillar of their trade, has this to say: “I don’t think it’s the right time for a new slogan. DoT should focus on tourism recovery. With their meager promotion and marketing budget, they shouldn’t plow this into a branding campaign that entails billions of pesos and takes years to be accepted in the international market.

“I can’t understand the logic of changing the ‘It’s more fun in the Philippines’ slogan now and shelving its promotional materials. As it is, the DoT has no campaign tagline, only Philippines.” n