CLARK FREEPORT --- Officials of the Department of Tourism (DOT) and its attached agencies attended the budget hearing led by the Senate Committee on Finance Subcommittee “G” on Tuesday, Oct. 15, where discussions focused on the proposed P3.394 billion budget for Fiscal Year (FY) 2025.
Committee Chairperson Senator Loren Legarda opened the discussion with an inquiry into the DOT’s Tourism Road Infrastructure Program (TRIP) in collaboration with the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).
She explored the possibility of amending the proposed FY 2025 DOT budget to support tourism infrastructure projects, particularly the construction of new roads and bridges that would enhance accessibility to tourism destinations across the country.
Legarda undercored the need for consistency in infrastructure policy.
She cited other government programs, such as the Department of Agriculture's (DA) farm-to-market roads (FMR) and the Department of Education's (DepEd) school building program, where funds are lodged with the respective agencies but implemented by the DPWH.
“If the DOT is a driver of the local and domestic economy, why not? If it brings about thousands of jobs, etcetera. So, that is my question. So, tignan natin because I can amend it with a special provision if the [Department of Budget and Management] will allow,” the senator said.
DOT Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco expressed her appreciation for Legarda's support.
The DOT chief reiterated the DOT’s long-standing advocacy for tourism infrastructure development under the Marcos administration.
“The provenance of this situation is from our advocacy from the very beginning that tourist destinations should have accessibility if they are to have any hope of thriving and if any employment is to be given to the local communities,” Frasco said.
She stressed the importance of funding major thoroughfares and new roads that would boost connectivity to tourism destinations.
Legarda commended the DOT’s community-based initiatives, particularly its flagship projects like the Philippine Experience Program (PEP): Heritage, Culture, and Arts Caravan, and the Tourism Industry Skills Program (TISP).
She also suggested collaboration with cultural and heritage agencies such as the National Historical Commission, the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), and the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP), among others, to enhance these programs.
The senator also inquired about the support needed by the DOT and its attached agencies for a range of projects, including the country’s participation in international travel and tourism events led by the Tourism Promotions Board (TPB) Philippines, the development of Tourist Rest Areas, the expansion of Tourism Enterprise Zones (TEZs).
Other topics inckuded the installation of additional hyperbaric chambers at dive destinations under the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA), the rehabilitation efforts and promotion of Intramuros under the Intramuros Administration (IA), and the Special Resident Retiree’s Visa (SRRV) product under the Philippine Retirement Authority (PRA).