MANILA - Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco expressed her appreciation for the support and swift approval of the House of Representatives (HoR) on the proposed budget of the Department of Tourism (DOT), including a PHP 2.7 billion increase, during the plenary deliberations on Tuesday, 19 September 2023.
According to Sec. Frasco, “The Department of Tourism expresses its utmost gratitude to the leadership of the House of Representatives and its members for strongly supporting the passage and increase of the Department’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2024.”
The Tourism chief added that the support given to the department shows the recognition of tourism as an essential economic pillar of the country.
“Their resounding support reflects their recognition of tourism as an essential economic pillar for our country, which, given the fiscal tools to expand, can only increase the Php 1.87 Trillion in visitor receipts and 5.35 million jobs contributed by tourism to our economy thus far,” Frasco stated.
Data from the DOT shows that as of September 19, 2023, the DOT has recorded 3,877,183 visitor arrivals or 80.77 percent of the 4.8 million target for this year.
The tourism chief presented the DOT’s budget and necessary resources enclosed in the National Expenditure Program (NEP) for next year consists of an allocation of PHP 2.99 billion encompassing the budget for its attached agencies.
According to DOT, the said amount, which is a significant decrease from the current budget of PHP 3.7 billion, prompted lawmakers to bat for the increase in the budget, noting the significant contribution of the tourism industry to the Philippine economy.
“While tourism has been identified by the President as one of the pillars of our economic recovery, it continues to receive one of the lowest budget among the national agencies, in fact, it was reduced by about a billion pesos from last year’s budget,” Isabela Representative Faustino Dy said in his opening statement.
"Our ASEAN neighbors have given utmost importance to tourism as their major economic source by providing it with budget that is double, if not triple of what our Philippine Department of Tourism is receiving; such meager budget does not parallel the milestones that the DOT has achieved thus far, and that in itself is an achievement or a remarkable feat,” the Congressman from Isabela added.
Frasco reiterated that in 2022 alone, the tourism industry’s international and domestic visitor arrivals raked in tourism receipts amounting to PHP 1.87 trillion, with a recorded 2.65 million international arrivals breaching the initial target of 1.7 million in the same year.
“The approved budget will allow for the efficient and successful implementation of the Department’s programs, projects, and activities designed to provide long-term solutions to some of the most pressing challenges that confront our country’s tourism industry as summed up to three basic but crucial components of connectivity, convenience, and equality. The DOT is committed to utilizing the allotted resources judiciously with the benefit and well-being of the country as the most important concern,” said Frasco.
During the HoR Committee on Appropriations deliberations, Secretary Frasco presented major tourism wins, including the establishment of the DOT Tourist Rest Areas across the country, improvement of gateways starting with the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 2, the facilitation of seamless entry protocols for travelers, and the diversification of tourism products and portfolio through various initiatives such as the Philippine Experience Program, among others.
