MANILA — President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has directed the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) to reinstate the PhP400 million branding budget for the Department of Tourism (DOT).
“Restore the PhP400 million branding budget of DOT to sustain the momentum,” President Marcos ordered the DBM during a meeting with Tourism Secretary Esperanza Christina Garcia Frasco at the Malacañan Palace on Wednesday.
The funding will be sourced from the President’s contingency fund.
President Marcos said the Philippines is off to a strong start in boosting its international image, citing recent accomplishments by Filipino talents, including two-time gymnastics world champion Carlos Yulo and The Voice US champ Sofronio Vasquez, both of whom brought pride to the country.
The President stressed the government can’t afford to lose the momentum.
“We have to maintain the momentum. There is already momentum. It doesn’t hurt that we have people like Sofronio winning The Voice and that we had Caloy Yulo winning the Olympics,” President Marcos said.
“All of these things that our people are doing that is great for the Philippines. And then we’re still living off the wonderful performance of Filipino health workers during Covid. Hindi na makakalimutan ‘yon,” he added.
Frasco echoed President Marcos’ sentiments and expressed full support for the administration’s initiatives to promote Philippine tourism.
In her presentation, Frasco said insufficient funding for the DOT would lead to reduced engagement with target audiences, fewer trade and consumer activation opportunities, and the absence of global media placements, among other setbacks.
Owing to the government’s global campaign to boost Philippine tourism, Frasco said the country gained PhP760 billion in international visitor receipts from January 1, 2024 to December 31, 2024.
She added foreign tourists in the Philippines stayed longer at an average of 11 nights in 2024 as compared to only nine in 2019.
The DOT has formally requested the reinstatement of the PhP400 million branding budget to support its campaign efforts. |PND