MANILA, Philippines – UMAPELA ang Department of Tourism (DOT) para sa mas mataas na budget sa 2026.
Ang panukala ng DOT ay P3.1 bilyon, kung saan ang P500 milyon ay ilalaan para sa “branding at promosyon” ng Pilipinas bilang isang global tourist destination.
Tinukoy ni Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco na “underfunded” ang DOT kumpara sa “multimillion-dollar marketing efforts being mounted by its neighboring destinations.”
“The fact of the matter remains that Congress slashed the budget of the Department of Tourism by no less than 83 percent in terms of its promotions funding from P1.2 billion to only P200 million in 2024, and slashed it by half yet again to only PHP100 million in 2025,” aniya.
Dinepensahan naman ng Kalihim ang ahensiya laban sa kritisismo ng “underperformance,” at binigyang-diin na sa kabila ng budget cuts at pumalyang international arrival targets, nakapagtala pa rin ang Pilipinas ng makasaysayang P3.86 trilyon sa domestic at foreign tourism receipts noong 2023.
“The sector also directly employed over six million Filipinos — a return of over 1,900,000 percent,” aniya pa.
Noong 2019, mainit na tinanggap ng Pilipinas ang 8.26 milyong foreign visitors, gamit ang pondong mahigit sa P1 bilyon para sa promosyon ng DOT noong kaparehong taon.
“You cannot expect a full recovery to 100 percent by investing only 100 to 200 million pesos and expect the same numbers,” ayon sa Kalihim.
Sinabi pa ni Frasco na “DOT is recalibrating its targets for 2025, taking into consideration circumstances surrounding tourism competitiveness.”
“In terms of the targets, it’s at present being recalibrated because the challenges come day-to-day as well,” dagdag niya.
Bilang karagdagan sa budget constraints, tinukoy ni Frasco ang “geopolitical tensions at economic slowdowns” sa mga pangunahing tourism source markets gaya ng South Korea bilang mga pangunahing hamon na nakaaapekto sa bilang ng mga bisita.
Ang patuloy na suspensyon ng eVisa ay isa ring “immense challenge” para sa DOT sa paghikayat ng mga bisita mula sa Tsina.
Sa kabila ng mga setbacks, nangako si Frasco na ipagpapatuloy ng DOT ang pagpo-promote sa bansa sa mga “key at emerging markets,” kabilang ang Estados Unidos, Canada, South Korea, at mga bansang Middle East gaya ng United Arab Emirates.
“We’re fighting back in terms of the headwinds that we are facing with policy shifts that are strategic interventions into the tourism industry’s prospects for the end of the year,” aniya.
“We certainly would welcome higher tourism receipts for the country as well as more arrivals — but then again, that is also determined by the amount of funding that is provided for the department. As things stand, with only P100 million in promotions for 2025, it is extremely difficult to allow the Philippines a fighting chance as far as its competitors,” dagdag pa ni Frasco. Kris Jose
