Tourism “Curse”
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A close friend came to us lately for assistance in the execution of his
Affidavit of Loss covering a lost Official Receipt to prove payment
for issuance of driver’s license by the Land Transportation Office.
To our surprise, his Temporary License shown to us reflected
the corresponding O.R. number, amount and date of payment of
the required fees for such license, duly issued by the LTO itself!
The LTO has all the data about the subject official receipt. Why
still require its presentation? Why require an affidavit of loss?
Requiring what is not required? Red tape, as usual. This offends P-
Noy’s New Philippines!
***
The SWAT (Special Weapons and Tactics) in Bohol has turned out to
be different from its counterpart in Manila.
While that in Manila displayed its incompetence in handling PSInsp
Rolando Mendoza’s hostage drama, the SWAT in Bohol succeeded
in arresting a group of suspected serial robbers holding out in
Catagbacan, Loon.
While the Manila SWAT “sulong-urong” operation against Mendoza
resulted in the massacre of eight (8) of his hostages, the Bohol
counterpart collared six (6) criminals without firing a single shot.
Kudos to the Bohol SWAT, including its operational partners!
But we were alarmed with the media report lately that the Bohol
SWAT has no service vehicle of its own! So, we ask: Is part
of “tactics” for SWAT to have no service vehicle? The cp lingo
says “hehehe”.
***
We have been critical on the way the Ombudsman (OMB) is handling
and resolving graft cases against “powerful” public officials. Thus, we
have coined the meaning of the acronym OMB — “Okay My Boy”.
But recently, P-Noy expressed appreciation over the “performance”
of the OMB despite criticisms against Merceditas Gutierrez, known
GMA ally.
What could be behind this unexpected P-Noy move?
***
All public officials nationwide, particularly the elected ones (traditional
politicians), keep drumbeating about the country’s tourism program.
In Bohol especially, under the leadership now of Gov. Edgar Chatto
(former Chair of the House Committee on Tourism), tourism is
bannered as the “flagship” program of the provincial administration.
The emphasis and extensive drumbeat on tourism here makes us
understand that, to our officials, tourism as the be-all, the ultimate
source of life for the Boholanos. All officialdom is talking about
plans to boost tourism, to the extent of pushing to the sidelines the
problems of the poor – lack of assistance to farmers, uncurtailed
upsurge of prices of basic commodities, shortage of delivery of basic
social services, criminality, and what have you. From morn till night,
the attention is on projects for the entertainment of tourists, especially
foreign ones.
But what, and what for and for whom, is TOURISM really?
First, it is a program – well funded by government – to attract tourists,
particularly foreign ones, in order to benefit from the money they bring
to their places of destination.
Second, it boosts business – particularly hotels, lodging houses,
beach resorts, restaurants, and the like – all for the benefit of
businessmen, especially the big ones who own and operate beach
resorts and shopping malls.
Third, it invites criminals from various places in the country, as they
are tempted by moneyed people who come to tourist destinations.
Fourth: The poor majority of the people, who suffer from prohibitive
prices of business goods, are neglected by government.
Summing it up: TOURISM is for the RICH and POWERFUL, never
for the suffering poor and powerless. So, why does government
support it feverishly? Government is of and for the RICH?
