Don’t they know that tourism brings jobs?

Last April 30, we wrote an article entitled, “Putting the Brakes on our Tourism Growth” which was about that open letter from the Philippine Hotel Federation, Inc. represented by its president Arthur Lopez who had it published in The Philippine STAR. That open letter was an appeal to President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino, III to revoke the Board of Investment’s (BOI) Regulation no. 2013-001 that they approved last March 5, that imposed locational restrictions and granting very limited incentives to “projects on accommodation establishments” located in the four major tourism areas of Metro Manila, Cebu City, Mactan Island and Boracay Island.”

When I met Sir Arthur Lopez last May 4 at the Bellevue Resort in Panglao, he told me that there was no response to that one-page open letter. What a waste of expensive newsprint. All this despite the support of the Department of Tourism (DOT) that endorsed the retention, citing the anticipated demand from tourists as proposed by the National Tourism Development Plan’s goal to achieve 10 million tourists by 2016. With our coming hosting of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) one would think that the Aquino regime would be of one mind and purpose in ensuring the total success of this international conference. So what’s the government’s response? 

Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima finally issued a response saying that there was no need to grant an Income Tax Holiday (ITH) incentive to hotels and resorts in the country’s hottest tourist destinations. Income tax holidays for already very profitable hotels serve only to further enrich a select few rather than improve the overall environment for tourism investments.” So there’s the government’s response to the open letter of the Philippine Hotel Federation, Inc. (PHFI).

Clearly, Secretary Purisima and Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez did not take the time to sit down together to discuss this issue during the cabinet meetings. If I may suggest to Sir Arthur Lopez, the Hotel Federation should invite both Purisima and Jimenez for a working meeting to come up with something that is acceptable to the Hotel Federation. After all, P-Noy has not yet expressed his own views on this matter.

Perhaps the problem here stems from the fact that under Finance Secretary Purisima he simply wants money and more money. Maybe he doesn’t understand that a new hotel that is built with those incentives can provide new jobs for many of our jobless people. That means lesser Filipinos would be seeking jobs abroad because there will be jobs here at home.

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As I was writing this column Thursday evening, my TV set is switched on to ANC with Tony Velasquez and Carmina Constantino who were interviewing Comelec Commissioner Grace Padaca with a Comelec legal officer whose name I didn’t get, and Carmen Subiaga, executive director of National Council on Disability Affairs (NCDA). Their topic was about the plight of Persons with Disabilities (PWD) in the last elections.

It was then that the Comelec legal officer said that of the 96,000 PWDs their records show that there were only 1,000 PWDs registered to vote. This only proves how incompetent the Comelec has become. The Comelec figures on PWDs are totally wrong! She was using 2010 Comelec figures!

A week before the May 13 elections, I featured a group on my TV talkshow called the Fully Abled Nation (FAN) which is supported by AusAid of Australia whose advocacy was to encourage all PWDs to vote in this elections because members of the Volunteers Service (VSO) would assist them with the support of the Comelec. My guests, Kenneth Sotto. project officer of VSO Bahairan and John Paul Maunes, executive director of Gualandi Volunteer Services and Cora Clarin of the PWD Federation.

The information we got from FAN was that there were only 511 PWDs who actually  voted in the May  2010 elections. But  since  the  advocacy

of FAN was launched, they were able to convince 12, 608 PWDs to register and vote just in the Province of Cebu alone.

But before we aired the show on May 6^th, Mr. Kenneth Sotto and JP Maunes gave me a copy of a letter they got a letter from Grace Padaca that they are not implementing anymore Comelec Resolution no. 9486 the rules and regulations for voting of persons with disabilities and the establishment of accessible polling place in connection with the national and local elections.

To make matters worse for the PWDs who were eager and motivated to vote, the Comelec gave a verbal instruction that VSO volunteers are not allowed to assist PWDs during the elections. Shame on you Comm. Grace Padaca for not lifting her finger to help her own disabled sector. If the PWD sector will seek the resignation of Padaca, they can count me in as one of those who would be more than willing to sign that petition.

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For email responses to this article, write to vsbobita@mozcom.com or vsbobita@gmail.com. His columns can be accessed through www.philstar.com.