MikeLigalig.com

The Bohol Chronicle Editorial
February 29, 2012


That our ASEAN neighbors are luring 10 to 20 million tourists a year while RP lags at only 3 million is indeed “a puzzlement” as the King of Siam would say.

Now that a working 4.2 million tourist target (2012) and a brilliant slogan of “It’s More Fun in the Philippines” are in place, we hope to dish our own ten-cents worth of input to the business exercise.

The assumption here, however, is that local tourists are as important as the foreign ones in revving up the economy based on tourism-activities. The others are (a) we are a nation of 7,000 islands and (b) our target market that is distinctly stratified based on their economic propensity to spend.

At the outset we daresay that one of the main drivers of tourism (separated islands as we are) are the profoundly attractive low budget airplane rates given by the so-called LCCs (Low Cost Carriers) like the Cebu Pacific, Zest Air, Airphil and SeaAir. Now even the lowly drivers, house helps and the like are now seated with the well-heeled patrons because of these discounted (by the thousands) air fares.

Definitely, these have allowed the low-budget local and foreign tourists to come and see the islands at vastly reduced air transport costs.

So from the consumer standpoint, the current investigations being done by Congress in the wake of House Bills Nos. 716 and 1283 must be taken in the context of the overall benefit to the economy. The issues of promo tickets being non-refundable, non-endorsable, non-reroutable and being forfeited (if unused) have already being calculated in the matrix of the airlines “profitability” despite the severely reduced fares.

We do not expect airlines to give “missionary rates” that will eventually threaten their own corporate viability. The issues of alleged over booking or unbridled cancellation of flights, however, are of course clearly non-negotiable in any part of the globe.

The other issue is on infrastructure. The BOI (Board of Investments), in designing the Investment Priority Policies for 2012 on Tourism must realize that in many places- among the missing infrastructure is that there are not enough rooms for tourists. Clearly the goal is to enthuse not discourage investments in rooms.

Thus the recent plea of the Philippine Hotel Federation to BOI must be heeded with utmost leniency. Pioneer incentives for all categories (de luxe, first class, standard, economy) –as long as accredited by the Department of Tourism, the per room investment minimum being sought is reduction from US$ 100,000 to US$ 50,000 (P4-M to P2M) with a 6 year tax incentive or ITH.

For Pioneer (under modernization), the per room adjustment requested is US$ 5,000 per room from US$10,000 (P200,000 from P 400,000 (de luxe and frist class) and US$2,000 ( P80,000) for (standard and economy).

The in view is to lure more investors in Class A projects as well as medium-priced hotels for the lower B and C tourist markets.

After cheap airline rates and room infrastructure should come in the “segmentation” of the tourist target market.

Right off, one can say, a study on the unrivaled ascendancy of the Camarines Sur “action-packed” and the Danao Bohol tour packages must be put under scrutiny. It seems that there is a growing market of tourists who would like to be “participatory” (water sports, ziplines, plunge, air balloons, kayaking, diving) rather than mere “passive spectator” tourists.

There is also the huge potential of “medical tourism” engendered by the competence of our health professionals, many of who have overseas training and education. Some of our hospitals are world-class: St Lukes Medical Center, The Philipine Heart Center, Asian Hospital and Medical Center, Manila Doctors Hospital and Makati Medical Center.

Some non-traditional breakthroughs in the non-traditional medicine healings have also been “good news” for patients and doctors here. For instance, herbal- scientist Antonio Agustin of Tarlac has co-founded an apparent cure for cancer with the use of “Boston-C” , a BFAD-approved natural food supplement which reportedly destroys half of the population of cancerous cells without the dreaded toxicity.

Reportedly one of the end-stage liver cancer beneficiary of the “Boston C” recovery is retired Philippine army colonel Ruben Evangelista of Zamboanga City.

The facets of coconut,local fruits and herbal extracts-based “Boston C” was reportedly discussed in the East West Medical School in Korea recently.

Another popular local invention is the so-called “Planas Alkaline” invented by Pablo Planas derived from a local mineral with an 8.5 alkaline content which at that level and above “ is enough to kill toxic wastes in the body, including cancer cells, the mother of all toxic cells”, according to a PNA (Philippine News Agency) report.

Planas is also credited with the invention of the “Chaos Turbo Gas Saver”, a device that is now being exported in 17 countries.

Verily, the Philippines has also become a center of Eastern forms of healing including our famous faith healers and massage gurus, some of them well known ,many others practicing their wares without fanfare.

Finally, there is the potential“Religious” Tour which can be highlighted by visits to centuries-old churches that litter almost every town in the country- each with their own story as to how and why they were built they way they are –in the 400 years of Spanish conquest of the Philippine islands. Wouldn’t that interest historians and religious people?

With our sandy beaches, azure blue waters, mountain ranges, waterfalls, rivers and lakes, flora and fauna, and a warm, hospitable English speaking people – we need not create that problem for our proverbial King Siam on tourist numbers in RP.

But we need to get all the sectors’ act together for our one and only country.



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