Aid for tourism workers pressed
FORMER Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano has called on the national government to provide aid for workers in the tourism sector and support the expansion of tourism-related infrastructure.
Cayetano said business owners and employees in the tourism industry, along with overseas Filipino workers, call center workers, farmers, and fisherfolks, helped the country endure impact of the coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) pandemic.
“Ngayon na sila naman ang naghihirap, dapat malalim ang bulsa ng gobyerno sa pagtulong. Nalulungkot na kailangan pa nilang magsabi na kailangan nila (ng tulong),” Cayetano said.
He argued that countries like Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, South Korea, Japan, and the United States have been investing in programs to revive tourism-related businesses.
While the House of Representatives under his term as Speaker was able to secure aid for the tourism industry under Bayanihan 1 and 2, Cayetano said support for businesses and workers in the tourism sector needs to be sustained.
The lawmaker also called on the national government to expand tourism-related infrastructure while the inflow of tourists is still low.
“Sa tourism-related infrastructure, pag nawala na ang COVID-19 at bumalik na sa normal, mas maraming lugar ang pwedeng makinabang sa tourism,” he said.
Cayetano vowed to secure aid for the tourism industry in the Bayanihan 3 bill, which is still pending consideration at the Senate.
Tourism is one of the priority sectors in Cayetano’s proposed five-year development plan.
