Tag Archives: tourism

What Duterte’s Build, Build, Build Project Could Mean to Philippine Tourism

When it comes to getaways that pique the interests of many foreign travelers, Philippines does not have an unexciting or uneventful island from Batanes up north to Davao down south and with the current government’s Build, Build, Build Project tourism industry might just boom like never before.

Whilst the ongoing debate over Boracay’s island wide closure where approximately five billion pesos worth of gross would be lost, President Rodrigo controversial project, being called out as overspending with $180 billion as budget for the major and nationwide constructions. With the stable economy brought by his predecessor beginning the year 2011, Duterte intend to change former President Aquino’s under spending to give the Filipinos 75 flagship projects.

The government is looking at six airports, nine railways, three bus transits, 32 roads and bridges, and four seaports in the hopes of urbanizing rural areas. To improve local net worth buttering the local government units for his desire for a change to the democratic government to federalism where LGUs has the authority over its funds and freedom over their domain. Make provincial investments and make production and transportation of goods easier and create more options and jobs for the people.

On the other hand, tourism in the country has always been thriving although the Philippines has been lauded as the “Sick man of Asia” and Duterte wants to change that by creating new infrastructures that would serve as braces for the sick man to get back on his feet. Philippines has never had any major constructions since the time of President Ferdinand Marcos back in 1970s.

As of now the MRT-7 is being developed to lessen the current northern traffic congestion which resulted to even longer travel time around the upper part of Quezon City and the president strikes with the Build, Build, Build project at the same time targeting the year 2022 for a better country as a whole.

There is that bigger picture in Duterte’s mind which he is crafting to become real right now but that means would be of a paramount delay and hindrance to the usual everyday routine of the masses especially the commuters, even tourists that reside in the city. Business could be more sluggish than usual as the country wait for all of these pending projects to be done.

If Duterte succeeds, not only would he be remembered for the years to come as the Discipliner and the Builder who purged the country but the Philippines would develop internal and external growth. There would not be any tourism hesitancy with a fully functional country. However, if the president fails, the delay would only create longer dilemma and heavier chain reaction effect for the economy not just for tourism business.