MANILA – More tourism groups joined the call on the bicameral conference committee to retain the PHP10-billion loan facility for micro and small industry players in the proposed Bayanihan to Recover as One or Bayanihan 2 bill.
In a joint statement on Wednesday, the Tourism Congress of the Philippines (TCP) along with 51 other organizations said this rescue package could assist the stakeholders to stay afloat and "quickly recover" from the effects the pandemic brought to the sector.
"We are not asking for a dole out and neither will it be so. We are seeking credit facilities, to be administered by the government financing institutions like the Development Bank of the Philippines and the Land Bank of the Philippines, to provide us with loans that will tide us over," the groups said.
They said the fund will help them rehabilitate facilities, upgrade their businesses to conform with the current health and safety standards set by the authorities as well as aid their employees financially.
"We committed to paying these emergency loans as tourism restarts domestically and globally," they assured.
The groups believe that the tourism infrastructure program envisioned by the House version of the Bayanihan 2, "while necessary in the long run" will not provide them with the relief the industry "urgently needs now".
"We therefore appeal to the members of Congress, particularly the bicameral conference committee currently deliberating on the final version of Bayanihan 2, to seriously consider the plight of the workers of the tourism industry, if the intent of the legislation is to provide emergency relief and stimulus to restart the economy," they said. "We are drowning in a stormy sea and we need a lifeline now. We cannot wait for a new boat to be built to rescue us."
The Senate version of Bayanihan 2 provides a PHP10-billion loan facility for tourism stakeholders, but the House version realigned the allocation for tourism infrastructure development through Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA), an attached agency of the Department of Tourism (DOT).
The industry leaders are backed by both agencies in urging Congress to prioritize the financial support to travel workers and small tourism players.
In a letter addressed to the House of Representative on August 11, TIEZA chief operating officer Pocholo Paragas said: "On behalf of the tourism stakeholders, we would like to appeal to our lawmakers to prioritize the financial support and assistance to our tourism workers, travel agencies, resort and accommodation facilities, and other tourism-related establishments to allow them to rebuild their businesses once the travel restrictions have been lifted."
The tourism industry is made up of 70 percent micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), according to TCP.
These MSMEs are comprised of small tour operators, travel agencies, transport operators, resorts and hotels, restaurants, dive shops, suppliers and service providers employing the drivers, waiters, booking agents, tour guides, dive masters and other workers reliant to the once-thriving travel industry in the country.
"Travel restrictions for most of the first half of this year have pushed us to the brink of bankruptcy and will surely nudge us over the edge in the coming weeks with no intervention by the government," the groups said.
Based on the latest data from the DOT, tourism receipts from January to July 2020 plummeted 72 percent to PHP81 billion compared to the same period last year. (PNA)
