The Department of Tourism (DOT) on Saturday said it is investigating the alleged use of non-original shots in the audio-visual presentation made by a contracted advertising agency.

The video presentation made by DDB Philippines, according to the DOT, is one of the components of the launch of its new tourism campaign.

"The DOT is currently conducting an exhaustive investigation to determine the veracity of, and to gather the full faculty of facts on, these allegations," the department said.

The DOT issued the statement after internet users raised concerns over the striking similarity of video footage in the "Love The Philippines" campaign with stock video shots taken in Indonesia, Thailand, and Dubai.

"During the various meetings and consultations held relative to the tourism brand enhancement, the DOT, for its part, repeatedly sought confirmation from DDB on the originality and ownership of all materials contained in the AVPs and key visuals presented to the Department. In ALL these occasions, DDB repeatedly assured the DOT that the originality and ownership of all materials are in order," the department said.

"While no public funds have been paid for the AVP in question as this particular component of the launch was released on the account of DDB, the DOT holds the responsibility of promoting the country to the highest standard. Therefore, it will not hesitate to exact accountability and take the necessary action to protect the interest of the country even as it continues to exhaust all efforts to develop and promote the Philippine tourism industry," It added.

The contracted ad agency, DDB Philippines, has yet to issue a statement on the issue.