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Mike · Site Admin Joined: 07 Sep 2004 Posts: 4512 Location:

By RACHEL C. BARAWID
The Department of Tourism in coordination with the DoTC has fast-tracked the construction of new airports and the upgrading of existing gateways across the country, in a bid to make the islands more accessible, attract more investments to the regions and to further boost international and domestic travel.

New airports are being constructed in Loakan and Bagabag in Cordillera, San Fernando, La Union, and in El Nido, Palawan. Meanwhile, upgrading and expansion work are being done in airports in Vigan, Busuanga as well as the international airports in Clark, Laoag, and Palawan.

Other airports scheduled for construction and upgrading are the Regional International Airport in Daraga City in Albay; Caticlan Airport in Aklan; the new Iloilo Airport; Silay Airport in Bacolod; Bohol’s Panglao and Tagbilaran airports; Tacloban’s Daniel Z. Romualdez Airport; the new Zamboanga International Airport; Iligan’s Baloi Airport, as well as those in Dipolog and Pagadian.

Next in line are the airports in Laguindingan, Cotabato, Siargao, Butuan, and the Sanga-Sanga Airport in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

The DoT together with the Department of Transportation and Communications (DoTC) are prioritizing this joint program which when completed will make the country more competitive globally and propel it to greater heights of development and prosperity.

"The enhanced efforts of the DoT and the DoTC to attract more local and foreign tourists would ultimately translate to national economic growth, as more tourists mean more jobs and livelihood opportunities for all," Tourism Secretary Joseph Ace Durano said.

Tourists and investors bound for Baguio, Banaue, Sagada and other destinations in the Cordillera region will have an option to skip the 8-12-hour land trip and reach these places in an hour via plane as soon as construction work on the runway and terminal facilities at the Loakan and Bagabag Airports are completed.

Durano said shortened travel time, increase in visitors and economic development can also be expected in the provinces of Abra, Benguet, La Union, Ilocos, and Pangasinan upon completion of the Laoag International Airport upgrading work, construction of Vigan Airport runway extension, and with the opening of a new airport in San Fernando, La Union.

According to Durano, another international gateway that is fast attracting investments for Luzon, is the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport (DMIA) in Clark, Pampanga. The DMIA terminal currently serves an average of 800,000 passengers a year. This number is expected to surge to 1.5 million in the next five years when expansion work of its passenger terminal is done.

The tourism chief also reported a plan to upgrade the Palawan International Airport to international standards, after improvements in the existing Busuanga Airport and the construction of the El Nido Airport are completed.
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Alan Stepney · Centurion Joined: 05 Nov 2004 Posts: 853 Location:

Mike · Site Admin Joined: 07 Sep 2004 Posts: 4512 Location:

So its like thailand--tons of great plans but nothing ever gets done??
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Alan Stepney · Centurion Joined: 05 Nov 2004 Posts: 853 Location:

In some ways, the two countries are much the same.
However, Thailand does manage to complete some major projects, far more than the Philippines does.

The biggest problem is that the Philippines has a propensity to shoot itself in the foot.

I wrote above, "whilst one department is encouraging tourism another is doing exactly the opposite".
At that time, I had no idea what would transpire, but was certain that something would, that would justify my statement.

Lo and behold, I just spotted the following.

BIR targets tourists in tax plan

By ANJO PEREZ and LOUIE PEREZ

To increase revenues, the government has turned to tourists. Not by offering them discounts so they will stay longer and spend more, but by taxing valuables they bring in even if they are for personal use.

Customs examiners at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport and the Centennial Airport disclosed yesterday that they have been instructed by the Bureau of Internal Revenu to inspect arriving luggage more thoroughly and to tax what they would deem as taxable items such as cameras, electronics, watches, and other valuables.

An examiner who requested anonymity said such strictness would not only create long lines at the exit but would discourage more tourists from coming in.

The BIR had pegged R1 million as minimum daily collection for examiners which wowuld translate to R30 million a month. Currently, customs collects an average of R80,000 a day at the two Manila airports or an average of P2.4 million a month.

The new quota is scheduled to be implemented on May 1.

The examiners said the move will give foreigners a bad impression of the country as they will be forced to rigidly inspect all their belongings and tax anything that has a value of more than US$350.

The source said that they will be forced to tax tourists who bring in video cameras, cellular phones and even cameras even if they are for personal use.

With the new quota, customs examiners will have to tax arriving tourists an average of $4 each.

At present, close to 5,000 foreigners arrive at the premiere airport daily, most of them coming from Japan, South Korea and China.

Tourists from the US and Europe are reprotedly increasing because of the recent tsunami that ravaged tourist resorts in Thailand and Indonesia. No actual figures, however, were available.

Customs personnel fear the number to decrease dramatically because of tax quota.