Disconnected

While in Canada for a clean energy study tour, I received an emailed copy of announcement from the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) about a joint project they entered into with the Canadian government. With the support of the Embassy of Canada in Manila, the DILG — headed by Secretary Mar Roxas II — is undertaking a Tourism Investment Forum set next week.        

The DILG and the government of Canada, through the Local Governance Support Program for Local Economic Development (LGSP-LED), announced they will jointly host this Tourism Investment Forum on September 1, 2015 at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City. The Tourism Investment Forum is designed to train local government units (LGUs) in tourism promotion activities to entice foreigners, not just Canadians, to come and visit tourist destination areas in their respective localities.

According to the DILG, the LGSP-LED is an eight-year joint program of the Philippines and Canada that seeks to promote efficient, responsive, transparent and accountable governance at all levels. With the multiplier effect to the entire economy of the tourism industry, it aims to reduce poverty by strengthening local governance and supporting sustainable local economic development (LED).

Since 2008, the DILG credited the LGSP-LED for having assisted 17 provinces, 17 cities and hundreds of municipalities in the country in streamlining their local business permits and licensing systems; updating their local incentive investment and revenue code; creating local economic and investment promotion offices; and strengthening their engagement with private sector for investment promotion and tourism product development and destination marketing.

It reported having completed local economic development initiatives in 9 project sites across the Philippines that aim to attract investments, increase tourism arrivals, and create jobs for 11 provinces, 8 cities, and 60 municipalities. To date, the DILG claimed the LGSP-LED LGUs attracted almost P6 billion in investments and created over 2,200 new jobs for their communities.

With the theme “Growing Local Economies through Connecting Tourism Communities and Businesses,” this year’s event will convene local chief executives and investment promotion officers from partner business-friendly provinces and cities, as well as business groups, associations, and entrepreneurs interested in the tourism growth opportunities in the country. 

Held as part of the Galing Pook Foundation’s Governance Fair 2015, the Tourism Investment Forum aims to unite LGUs and business leaders with the common goal of developing real poverty solutions by advancing local economic development. The participating LGU executives will be able to exhibit tourism growth opportunities to potential investors, developers and lenders.

It will also feature discussions on best practices and mechanisms essential in creating the kind of local business environment that will transform the Philippine local tourism industry into a promising investment destination.

This will be an opportunity for Roxas to showcase the DILG contribution to promote the country’s overall tourism development. Recently anointed by President Benigno “Noy” Aquino III as the Liberal Party’s presidential standard-bearer for the May 2016 elections, Roxas could consider the Tourism Investment Forum as one of his “swan songs” before he steps down from the Cabinet to embark on his own campaign to win the presidential race next year.

It is not clear though what is the participation or involvement, if any, of the Department of Tourism (DOT) in this joint undertaking of the DILG with the Canadian government. At the national level, it is the DOT that implements the government’s campaign not only to promote the Philippines as a travel destination but also as an attractive tourism-related investment area. 

While the DILG-led local tourism promotion activities are very commendable, it is, however, disheartening that such efforts are at times negated by unwanted incidents taking place at the national scene.

Take the case of a foreign visitor who literally landed on his feet at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 2 in Pasay City. While walking at the arrival area headed for the transit gate, the unsuspecting male passenger fell through the tiled floor that apparently collapsed under his weight. It created a pit, measuring about a square meter wide and over two feet deep on the floor.

According to a belated report by NAIA-2 authorities, the incident happened last July 25 when a 40-year-old Australian national arrived from a night flight from Hong Kong. Slightly bruised, perhaps including his ego, the victim, however, did not file a complaint.

On investigation by airport authorities, the portion of the floor that collapsed was formerly a pocket garden but reclaimed over a year ago to provide additional space at the NAIA-2 complex. The facility is being leased for use by Philippine Airlines (PAL). But the entire complex is owned and operated by the Manila International Airport Authority headed by retired Gen. Jose Angel Honrado.

Although the incident took place more than a month ago, nobody knew about it until it leaked out to media just now. There are things that could have been very well been avoided. But perhaps because of negligence, carelessness, or stupidity at the very least, it becomes an accident waiting to happen.

Unfortunately, it happened right at the very doorstep of our country’s premier port of entry for all tourists and visitors at NAIA.

At the House committee appropriations hearing the other day on the proposed national budget for 2016, Buhay party-list Rep. Lito Atienza scored the DOT for its failure to reach its target of 10 million tourist arrivals for 2015. For the first 6 months of the year, Atienza noted with concern the DOT has only recorded 2.6 million tourist arrivals. Worse, he said, the original DOT target was cut by half, or to only 5 million by yearend. 

DOT Secretary Ramon Jimenez admitted his “optimistic over-projection” was largely the reason for the huge gap because they expected too much from the “More Fun in the Philippines” campaign. At this last stage of the outgoing administration, Jimenez blamed the morass of problems that the DOT inherited from the previous administration, which purportedly rendered their efforts “disconnected” in carrying out the Aquino tourism program. Seriously?