The House Committee on Tourism has recommended the approval of a measure seeking to declare the year 2020 as the “National Golf Tourism Year” in the country.
Under House Committee Report No. 567, the House panel, chaired by Laguna 3rd District Rep. Sol Aragones, sought the plenary approval of House Bill No. 7905, which aims to promote golf tourism in the country.
The measure substituted House Bill No. 5770, which is principally authored by Iloilo 2nd District Rep. Michael Gorriceta.
Gorriceta called on his colleagues to support the final passage of the measure, which he said, aims to extend the government’s support for the growth of golf tourism in the country.
“The development of golf tourism in the Philippines boosts the popularity of the game, increases the interest in the game of golf, and enhances the facilities of the various golf clubs,” he said.
According to him, the Iloilo Golf Summit in Sta. Barbara, Iloilo, which was held on September 21, 2019 gave birth to his measure.
During the summit,the representatives from various prestigious golf and country clubs in the country drafted a manifesto declaring the year 2020 as the “Philippine National Golf Tourism Year.”
The Iloilo Golf Summit was hosted as an expression of the local golf industry’s “unified position” that there is a need to promote golf tourism in the country, he noted.
HB 7905 seeks to declare the year 2020 as the “National Golf Tourism Year” in the entire country in recognition of the Philippines’ world class and unique golfing enclaves located all over the archipelago and the potential benefit from the expected growth in golf tourism.
The bill tasks the Secretary of Tourism to lead the celebration of the “National Golf Tourism Year” in coordination with all heads of government agencies and instrumentalities, as well as local government units (LGUs) and offices and members of golf clubs in the country.