Beach on Noy’s mind but he’s too busy

MANILA, Philippines - This summer, President Aquino is among those thinking about hitting the beach but he laments he is too busy to go and enjoy even just a short vacation in one of the country’s resorts.

He has been telling people in his campaign sorties that airports and tourism roads are continuously being constructed and improved to make it really, as the country’s slogan goes, “more fun” and “more beautiful” in the Philippines.

Malacañang also promises to address the complaints of travelers, some of whom turn to social networking sites, to show how they get packed like sardines at the airports, especially those in famous local destinations.

In Toledo City, Cebu on Friday, the President said he was billeted at Shangri-La’s Mactan and his room was facing the beach.

He said he saw people enjoying the beach and the swimming pool, including foreigners.

“It seems really okay to have a vacation. Matagal na akong hindi nakatikim niyan (I have not experienced that in a while),” Aquino said.

He said the Labor Code states that there should be one day off a week.

But he joked that he could not possibly sue anyone over his lack of vacation because he is the Chief Executive.

He said there were a lot of beach resorts to go to in Cebu and the waters were clear, something that Filipinos can be proud of.

The issue, he said, was not really the number of sites that tourists from all over the world could visit but the means to get there easily.

Among domestic travelers alone, he said the number reached 37 million in 2011 and the target was now more than 56 million in 2016.

He cited the economic gains of having a lot of tourists – drivers, tourist guides and even makers and sellers of souvenirs who would be earning in serving more customers.

The President announced that the Cebu Mactan International Airport, along with other airports, was being upgraded to accommodate up to 6.5 million passengers from the present 1.6 million.

He said the number of tourist arrivals at the Cebu Mactan International Airport alone had increased to two million, thus the need to improve the facilities.

Among the infrastructure projects now benefiting or could eventually help the people of Cebu are the Cebu North Hagnaya Wharf Road, Quano Avenue, and the Mactan Circumferential Road.

In Dipolog City in Zamboanga del Norte and also in Negros Oriental, the President also cited the tourism roads being built to make it easier to reach the various attractions.

Aquino added that another good news was that the Department of Public Works and Highways was no longer being accused of corruption in undertaking projects and had in fact posted big savings.

Over dzRB yesterday, deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said the various departments and agencies were working together to push tourism.

“We are supporting it with infrastructure. We are conducting proper identification of roads leading to tourist spots so we can improve them. The DOTC (Department of Transportation and Communications), the DOT (Department of Tourism) have been working on improving also our airports, and we appreciate the feedback that is coming from the citizens,” Valte said.

“I received feedback the other day about the Dumaguete Airport, and we forwarded that to the DOTC. We are continuing to improve our airports, in particular, if you see, the DOTC has been continuously bidding out either reconstruction or rehabilitation projects for different airports in our country. And yes, we continue to welcome feedback so we can identify certain things... We pass on these concerns immediately to the agencies so they can be attended to,” she said.

Valte said the Passenger Bill of Rights was crafted precisely to protect the rights of air travelers.

Valte also defended Transportation Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya who has been going around with the President to campaign, saying he was focused on his work and addressing all concerns.

“And also, Secretary Abaya has a very capable team who is supporting him at DOTC,” Valte said.