MANILA, Philippines — A month after Typhoon Odette (international name Rai) pummelled through the country, Sen. Richard Gordon filed a resolution which seeks to immediately kickstart the recovery of affected areas, including four tourist sites in Visayas and Mindanao.
Senate Resolution 977, which was filed on Monday, aims to generate livelihoods for micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and other affected businesses, while "reinvigorating" the local tourism industry.
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"The resolution calls for immediate initiation of the early recovery of all areas affected by Typhoon Odette such as Bohol, Cebu, the Dinagat Islands, and Siargao, to help the MSMEs, and dislocated businesses; and provide support in the form of loans from government-owned and controlled corporations and other banks,” Gordon was quoted as saying in his privilege speech.
Gordon, who was formerly the tourism secretary, noted that Bohol, Cebu, Dinagat Islands and Siargao are popular tourist destinations, the local economies of which have been affected when the government implemented hard measures to curb the spread of COVID-19.
Gordon, who chairs his chamber's government corporations and public enterprises committee, said that the four areas were in the middle of a "renaissance caused by an uptick of tourism foot traffic as the country's number of COVID-19 cases fell sharply just as Typhoon Odette struck."
According to the senator, tourism is a major driver of the Philippine economy, which accounted for 12.7% of the country's gross domestic product in 2019. A year later, the figure fell to 5.4%, following the onset of the pandemic.
The Department of Tourism said last month that it will be working on a rehabilitation and recovery plan for the tourist destinations affected by Typhoon Odette.
Odette made landfall over Siargao Island in Surigao del Norte on December 16.