Quezon City 4th district Rep. Marvin Rillo (Rep. Rillo's office)

A vice chairperson of the House Committee on Tourism has welcomed the P14-billion allocation for access roads and bridges to tourist destinations in the country under the P5.768-trillion National Expenditure Program (NEP) for 2024. 

Quezon City 4th district Rep. Marvin Rillo said the P14 billion is itemized in the 2024 NEP and is on top of the P17.7 billion already earmarked for the Tourism Road Infrastructure Program (TRIP) this year. 

“We expect the incremental spending for the TRIP to create a multitude of construction-related jobs that effectively redistribute income to poorer households,” Rillo said. 

“The improved infrastructure will also help drive tourist traffic and employment growth in accommodation, transport, food and beverage services, entertainment, and other activities in the (tourism) value chain,” added the rookie solon, who is also a member of the Committee on Appropriations. 

The TRIP bankrolls the construction and upgrading of roads and bridges leading to declared tourist sites that are not yet covered by other funding sources. 

The Department of Tourism (DOT) and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) jointly identify the projects under the TRIP, which is in support of the National Tourism Development Plan. 

Based on DOT data submitted to Congress, a total of 2,938,717 foreign tourists and 279,668 Filipinos who are permanent residents abroad visited the Philippines from January to July 2023. 

The top three nationalities in terms of tourist arrivals during that period are South Koreans (814,559 visitors), Americans (607,113), and Japanese (154,851).