No plan to close duty-free shops

MANILA, Philippines — Duty Free Philippines Corp. (DFPC) has postponed its plan to close its stores in the provinces even as the Department of Tourism (DOT) said the closure of the state-run firm is not an option.

“With the shift to GCQ, (general community quarantine), which eased most travel restrictions and reopened air travel, the DFPC management saw an opportunity and a small window of hope for improvement,” the DFPC said in a statement.

On May 29, the DFPC said preparations for the closure of its outlets at the Bacolod, Davao, Iloilo, Clark and Kalibo international airports were underway.

Operations of duty-free shops were stopped during the enhanced community quarantine.

However, in a memorandum issued on June 15, DFPC deputy chief operating officer Bernardine Belmonte said it is “willing to take the risk of absorbing the monthly expenses without revenues praying it will not take very long before we can start to generate sales to sustain operations.”

Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat, chairperson of the board of directors of the DFPC, said “dissolution or permanent cessation of operations of the DFPC are definitely not options on the table as we address the impact of global travel restrictions on our business performance.”

Puyat said ”the continued employment of our workers remains a top priority.”