Guess who’s stopping the Koreans from going to RP?

Cebu’s share of the country’s tourist arrivals has risen so sharply in the past two years. They’ve gone from weekly chartered flights to Korea to thrice weekly flights of both Asiana Airlines and Korean Airlines. One can predict that soon those flights will become daily. Indeed, the Koreans have beaten the best efforts of the Japanese air carriers just on the Cebu-Korea-Cebu route alone. Now do you think that those jumbo planes are full of Filipino passengers going to and coming from South Korea? No sir, they’re packed with Koreans, especially in this season where the cold weather in the Korean peninsula is unbearable and no one can play golf!

Without a doubt, the exodus of Koreans to Cebu and elsewhere in the Philippines has contributed to our nation’s economy, filling up once empty hotel rooms. The Koreans ride in our taxicabs, eat in our restaurants (they still eat in Korean restaurants), shop in our malls, and play lots and lots of golf, and more importantly, because Koreans are known for their efficiency, they make good use of their vacation to get something out of it… more than just a vacation, they go home speaking English!

Indeed, learning how to speak English has become something of a national pastime for Koreans (and I know, this is also happening in Taiwan and the Chinese mainland), who have gone out of their way to rent dilapidated buildings in downtown areas in Cebu City that most of the upper crust no longer want. It’s the equivalent of reviving the old Avenida or Escolta district in Manila fueled by Korean money!

I know, for instance, that the old hotel called Harbor View (it was once known as the Triton Hotel) belonging to our dear friend, Ambassador (now Undersecretary of Foreign Affairs) Frank Benedicto, has been rented by Korean businessmen. In the past, that hotel really didn’t make money because it was located just across the old provincial jail. But since Gov. Gwen Garcia moved the provincial jail to the hills of Kalunasan (where the view is breathtaking), at least the area is already acceptable to the Koreans. So, too, with the Winner building, which used to house the first dim sum restaurant in Cebu. Because Cebu’s tourism has influenced Bohol, the Koreans are also there in droves.

At this point, we can only hope that this trend continues… that the Philippines will continue to attract more tourists from our neighbors who pay good money for their short stay. But apparently, there’s a growing problem, which I believe is fast becoming an irritant to the influx of foreigners to this country, something we don’t really need.

Like what we’ve said earlier, the coming of the Koreans in droves is also due to their efficiency in getting something from their vacation through the opening of small English language schools operated by Koreans in Cebu and I’m sure this is also happening in other places in the country. All this is due to their passion to learn the English language, something that we ought to relearn!

In doing its job, the Bureau of Immigration (BID) must have learned that the reason why many Koreans have started going to the Philippines is more than just to have fun in the sun and sand. All of the sudden, the BID pulled out Memorandum Order No. ADD-02-006 signed by then Immigration Commissioner Andrea Domingo on Feb. 5, 2002, or three years ago, exacting an accreditation fee of P50,000 per foreigner who teaches in short-term English language schools.

Of course, this memo doesn’t cover Koreans only as it mentions all foreigners. But ask yourself… who else are arriving in droves to our shores creating a boom in tourism if not the Koreans? There’s no other nationality I know who is doing this, except for a few Japanese. What is important to note is that the Koreans are not taking jobs away from our English-speaking Filipino teachers simply because we do not know how to speak the Korean language. In short, they are bringing in Korean teachers to teach English to fellow Koreans!

Now I’m not against the BID getting a small share of this growing industry spawned by the Koreans. But P50,000 bucks a pop is just too much; it doesn’t sound like a fee anymore but a penalty! Why don’t you find out what kind of penalties the BID exacts from violators and you’ll be surprised they are not in the neighborhood of fifty grand! The question really is, is this a fee or a fine? It sounds more like a fine to me! Why couldn’t the BID exact a P8,000 fee? That wouldn’t be too much, then they can exact a P50,000 fine for foreigners who violate this ruling.

What worries me is that because of what the BID has done, it just might reverse the current trend and the Koreans may find another country willing to accept them. There’s an old saying, "Do not kill the goose that lays the golden eggs!" In this case, we’re not only harvesting the golden eggs, we’re cooking the goose!

Before it is too late, I suggest that Immigration Commissioner Alipio Fernandez and Tourism Secretary Joseph Ace Durano sit down together and solve this potential problem. If the BID wants to get a share of this business, surely, they can secure a lower accreditation fee, instead of the present prohibitive P50,000 a pop! Let’s be reasonable and lower this fee as many Filipinos are directly benefiting from the present Korean invasion, and exacting an exorbitant fee may just repel the coming of more Koreans.

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I got this another self-explanatory letter from Southern Leyte Gov. Rosette Yñiquez Lerias about the case of the Sogod, Leyte police chief:

"Dear Bobit, Thank you for printing my letter in your column and for your kind words to help promote my province. Here is a brief update for you. On Nov. 28, police Senior Inspector Manuel Blase was relieved of his duty and was re-assigned to Camp Pitik in Palo, Leyte. That’s about 200 kms away from Sogod and he is now on ‘floating’ status.

"On Nov 28, SPO3 Tomon and SPO1 Egido were re-assigned to Camp Alfredo K. Bantug in Maasin City. They are also on ‘floating’ status. On Nov 30, a new chief of police, Senior Inspector Feliciano Romero Jr., was installed in the municipality of Sogod. There is an ongoing investigation and the PNP will ensure that appropriate sanctions are meted out. I will keep you posted on further developments. I am a believer of close cooperation and coordination between concerned citizens and the local government units. This helps us, local officials, in effectively delivering services to our constituents. Very truly yours, Gov. Rosette Lerias"

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For e-mail responses to this article, write to [email protected]. Bobit Avila’s columns can also be accessed through www.thefreeman.com. He also hosts a weekly talkshow, "Straight from the Sky," shown every Monday, at 8 p.m, only in Metro Cebu on Channel 15 of SkyCable.