Cayetano: Corruption hurting PH tourism

Senator Alan Peter Cayetano.
INQUIRER FILE PHOTO / GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE

Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano on Saturday said the cycle of corruption in the country has been hurting the tourism sector, noting that next leaders should address the “systematic” stealing in government if they intend to attract more tourists.

Cayetano, who is seeking the vice presidency, lamented that the Philippines continues to lag behind its counterparts in the Association of Southeast Asian (Asean) while billions of money are stolen from public coffers, thus hindering the growth of local economies.

“Sobra na ang paghihirap sa bansa, nauunahan na tayo ng mga karatig bansa pagdating sa pag-unlad, pagtapos ay nanakawan pa ng mga korap na opisyal ang kaban ng bayan. Paano maaayos ang gulo?” Cayetano pointed out.

(Our country has been suffering too much already. Our neighbors have overtaken us, and our corrupt government officials would still steal from us. How do we resolve this mess?)

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“We all know that corruption prevents the inflow of investments and negatively affects economic growth. So if we want our tourism sector to boom, we first need to cleanse our system of dishonest officials who enrich themselves at the expense of our nation’s progress,” he added.

Cayetano, who visited Vigan in Ilocus Sur to conduct an informal dialogue with local tour guides, said he and Duterte would curb the perennial problem of corruption by prioritizing the passage of the Freedom and Information law and Anti-dummy laws, among others.

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The senator also proposed the creation of a Department of Culture and National Heritage, which he said would be “responsible for the promotion and preservation of historical and heritage sites” and “help spur region-specific tourism in different provinces and create employment and other livelihood opportunities.”

“What we need is a clean and honest government that will end the disorder in the country, lure more investors, create more jobs, and generate more income for our people. With our political will and vision, Mayor Duterte and I will deliver,” Cayetano said. IDL