By the Bohol Chronicle
The Tourism Act of 2009 signed into law by Pres. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in Cebu on Tuesday is considered as an achievement not just of the Philippine Congress but the Filipino nation.
Arroyo and House Speaker Prospero Nograles lauded the audacity and hard work of its principal author in Congress, Rep. Edgar M. Chatto, and his co-authors including Nograles himself.
The House speaker likewise praised the members of the House panel to the Bicameral Conference Committee, in which a Senate counterpart panel also sits, who equally toiled to craft the final version of the law. Chatto led the House conferees.
“I am delighted that the president finally signed the landmark measure which is an output of the collective effort of the House of Representatives, Senate, executive department and industry stakeholders for the benefit of the Filipinos,†said the Bohol solon while emerging from the Imperial Palace Waterpark Resort, Hotel and Spa in Mactan island in Cebu where the historic signing took place.
He said the law declares tourism as an indispensable element of the national economy and an industry of national interest and importance which ought to be harnessed as an engine of socio-economic growth and cultural affirmation.
Chatto generously cited Sen. Richard Gordon, who pushed for the Senate version of the law. Both led the lawmakers in witnessing the law signing during the president’s meeting with her cabinet outside Manila.
It was the congressman from Balilihan who himself sponsored the committee report in the plenary debates that fine-tuned the tourism statute aimed at promoting the country as the prime tourist destination in Asia.
The law will upgrade the country’s level of global competitiveness thru a system of accreditation, standards-setting and classification, said Chatto, chairman of the tourism committee in Congress.
It will generate investments, foreign exchange and employment while keeping the mold and enhancement of the national pride.
Chatto said the law is a significant achievement not only of the national legislative and executive branches of the national government but also of the local government units and private sector.
He recognized the possibility of crafting a law in view of the urgent need to develop a national strategy for tourism development while giving due respect for the principle of local autonomy.
Chatto gave merits to the government agencies, private sector groups and Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines (ULAP) in adding inputs to how the measure can institutionalize an effective multi-sectoral partnership.
The law empowers the Department of Tourism (DOT) by strengthening its attached agencies for more efficient coordination of functions and use of resources for tourism programs.
Private sector participation is institutionalized in the law as it also establishes the Tourism Congress, an assembly of representatives of all accredited tourism enterprises.
The assembly will serve as a consultative body assisting the government in the development, implementation and coordination of national tourism policies.
Chatto said “the private sector is indeed a crucial stakeholder in the business and I believe that its participation is indispensable since it frontlines the industry.â€
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