Former Department of National Defense (DND) secretary and senatorial candidate Gilbert "Gibo" Teodoro said the government should boost support for tourism-related enterprises even as the sector has started its recovery.
The UniTeam senatorial slate member made this appeal as the Philippines further eased its Covid-19 restrictions and opened its borders to foreign tourists.
“This is the time that we have to offer customized loans that will help businesses in the tourism sector. They were reluctant to tap lending facilities before because their operation is not making profit as tourism activities have not yet recovered,” Teodoro said.
The Senate hopeful added that there is also a need for retraining and upskilling of the workforce in the tourism sector to cater to the changing needs and services of tourists due to the ongoing pandemic.
The former Tarlac lawmaker and 1989 Bar topnotcher is also pushing for continued investments in infrastructure, especially tourism infrastructures like roads, airports, and seaports that will improve connectivity to and from tourist destinations in the country.
Teodoro also mentioned the need to have hospitals and other emergency medical facilities in key tourist destinations to cater to the medical needs of tourists.
“Tourism is an income opportunity for our country and supporting the sector will create more jobs and livelihood for Filipinos, especially those in the rural areas,” he said.