People in the DOT are keenly watching the case of Lapid because it would prove to them that the President’s pledge l to lead the people through the “matuwid na daan” is more than just sloganeering.
I would like to make it clear here that the case of Lapid is a separate issue from Lim’s lackluster performance as tourism chief.
I think that quitting the DOT was a good decision for Lim. His one year stint with the DOT showed that he is not cut for that job which requires more than sincerity, honesty and dedication.
Anyway, sometime in May, Lim reported to Aquino about his problem with Lapid, chief operating officer of Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA), formerly Philippine Tourism Authority. The report allegedly involved deals with suppliers.
Lapid, who has the rank of undersecretary, is the son of Sen. Manuel “Lito” Lapid. He was formerly governor of Pampanga. He was one romantically linked with Kris Aquino, sister of the President.
It is worth recalling that Lapid’s position in TIEZA was one of those included among the controversial midnight appointments of Gloria Arroyo – appointments made during the ban which was 45 days before May 10, 2010 election.
Lapid then argued that his TIEZA post could not be considered a midnight appointment because it was merely a nominal change from his old post as PTA general manager.
There were reports then that Sen. Francis Pangilinan was helping convince Malacanang to allow Mark to keep his post in exchange for the support of Lito Lapid for his senate presidency bid. Neither Pangilinan nor any one aligned with the Aquino administration got the Senate presidency. It went to Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile of Partido ng Masang Pilipino of former president Joseph Estrada.
Back to Lim and his report to Aquino about Lapid’s alleged disturbing activities.
A highly reliable source said Aquino asked Lim to wait because Malacañang needed the vote of Lito Lapid for the postponement of the election in the Autonomous Region for Muslim Mindanao that they were pushing.
Indeed, one of the 13 senators who voted for Senate Bill 2756 deferring the scheduled Aug 8, 2011 election to the first Monday of May 2013 was Lapid. That was on June 6, 2011.
The source said Lim expected Aquino to act on his recommendation after the Senate vote on the postponement of the ARMM elections. A Malacanang source, however, said they were getting irritated that Lim didn’t want to let go of the Lapid issue.
More than two weeks after, during the anniversary celebration of the Department of Public Works and Highways, while praising DPWH Secretary Rogelio Singson and two others, Aquino said, “Sa totoo lang, meron akong na-obserbahan na mga miyembro ng gabinete, mga dalawa o tatlo – kada makita ko agad iniisip ko, ano kayang bad news ang dala-dala nito (In truth, I have observed Cabinet members, about two or three – each time I see them I wonder what bad news they bring.)”
One newspaper later named Lim as one of those three secretaries who are messengers of bad news to Aquino.
The source said Lim felt all the more the lack of Malacañang’s support to him when DOT was not mentioned in the President’s second state-of-the nation address last July 25.
In a statement on Lim’s resignation,Presidential Spokeperson Edwin Lacierda lauded the fromer president of the Makati Business Club for being a “the chief advocate of the Pocket Open Skies Policy, the landmark breakthrough from the protectionist policies of the past.”
Lacierda also said during Lim’s one year stint as tourism secretary international visitors increased to an unprecedented level: over 3.7 million arrivals between July 1, 2010 and June 30, 2011.
Those were culled from the report submitted by Lim for the SONA.
I perfectly understand why the President didn’t feel like bragging about those tourist arrivals. That’s nothing compared with the tourist arrivals in neighboring Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia.
The resignation of Lim gives Aquino another chance to look for someone who could re-energize the country’s sluggish tourism industry.
Meanwhile, what does he do with government officials like Mark Lapid?
Ang reaction ni Lito Lapid nung nabalitaan niya ang resignation ni Bertie Lim:
“Di ko maintindihan bakit kinailangan niyang mag resign. Pwede naman siyang mag absent, di ba?”
Pero in fairness to Lim who I believe has been doing a good job, Hindi naman nating pwede ikumpara ang tourist arrivals dito sa Thailand, Malaysia, at Singapore.
Yun tatlong bayan na yan naghanda bago sumabak sa tourism. Ang mahirap dito sa bayan natin ay ang pananaw natin sa tourism secretary. Akala natin ay puro marketing at come-on slogans lang ang trabaho niya. Parang nasa panahon pa tayo ni Joe Aspiras, puro promo wala naman pagdadalhan ng turista pag may dumating. Kung sabagay nagfocus siya sa balikbayan kasi yun ay meron tutuluyan.
Ang Thailand naging sikat na tourist destination nung kinuha nilang consultants ay mga europeo at yan ang gumawa ng comprehensive plan at pumili ng mga areas na idedevelop for tourism.
Ang Thai government ay nakinig sa mga may experience at nakakaintindi ng negosyo ng tourism. Yun mga europeo ang nagpatakbo ng turismo sa likod ng mga tourism ministers. Nag-aral at naghanda ang mga Thai, kaya sila ang nangunguna sa arrivals.
Ang Malaysia, Hanep mga highway na papuntang mga tourist destinations. Pero pangit ang service sa mga hotel. Kaya lang mura at madaling puntahan, Ang Sabah wala dati pero ngayon booming. Yun Kota Kinabalu todo ang development ng mga resort. Di lang yun Sutera Harbor na nasa tabing dagat at may complex ng ilang hotel kundi hanggang sa mga lugar na 45 minutes away meron mga 5 star hotel tulad ng Shang. Dito yun 45 minutes na yun ay aabutin ng mahigit isang oras na biyahe.
At sa Singapore. Ayus na pero dinagdagan pa ng Marina Bay. Matagal ang planning niyan bago tinuluyan, pero nung nagdesisyon na gagawin, ang bilis natapos ang project. Ngayon bago na ang mukha ng singapore.
Pero bago pa inumpisahan ang Marina Bay, yun Changi airport ay pinalakihan para ng makatanggap ng Airbus 380, at umorder pa sila ng napakaraming Airbus 380.
Tayo gagawa ng isang dambuhalang entertainment city dyan sa reclamation area pero ano ang airport natin? Iilan runway na bulok, baboy ang radar, at ang nga terminal di kayo nag process ng sabaysabay na jumbo jet. Paano kung puro 380 ang dumating? Yun clark okay sana pero hanggang ngayon di pa tapos ang northrail. Ang pinagaabalahan natin kasi ay ang slogan na Pilipinas kay Ganda, ang pocket open skies policy, ang expansion ng Tourism Congress, at si Mark Lapid.
Sayang nauuwi tayo sa backpackers at yun mga kapitbahay natin nakukuha ang high end tourism.
Sayang. 7,000 islands of tropical paradise sana. What millions of tourists dream of. And we can’t build the support structure for them.
And those tropical islands aren’t all we have. We have the most friendly, courteous and service-oriented people on these islands. A natural for tourism. Sayang talaga.
Hanep ang mga Lapids talaga, may kapit kahit kaninong presidente! Nakukuha ba yan sa “hitsura” at hindi sa kakayahan?
Demoralizing nga naman kay Lim na marinig niya na siya marahil ay isa sa mga “problem” cabinet secretaries. Mukhang very hard working pa naman siya.
I heard that our airports are not really equipped to service tourism. Yung ibang runway daw eh mga “putot”, just designed for small planes. Paano mo nga naman ma-advertize na destination kung below par naman ang mga infrastructures. Siguro kailangan ng preparation sa mga ito bago tayo mag-advertize. Mamuhunan naman muna tayo. It is worst to open up our tourism and all the tourists who got dismayed with our services will bad mouth us and dissuade other toursists to come. I-improve muna natin ang ating tourist destinations and then invite people in.
Kung ang mga “ninakaw na salapi ng bayan, ki Juan de la Cruz”, ng mga mapag-samantala sa gobyerno ng Pilipinas ay
nai-focus, sa Tourism, sana-siguro di mag-reresign si Ginoong Lim. Yang lahar-delihensya daw sa Pampanga, ay malaki at milyon-milyon ang halaga, sabi noon ni ex-gob. Panlilio..mga kaso sa Mindanao ( maguindanao ),Bicol at
sa lahat ng sangay ng pamahalaan, sa buong bansa, na mga delihinsya-komisyon-padding sa mga projects, ay may kasapatang maitugma sana ang mga naka-saad, sa tourismong
naka-panlulumong pakingan o mga reklamo..Iba kasi ang utak
kaisipan ng mga naka-lukluk sa pamahalaan,”bulsa muna nila” ang pinatataba, bago ang karangalan ng bayan…Mabuti pa si Pacman, gumawa ng sariling paraan, para mabigyan ng karangalan ang Pilipinas. Kailan pa kaya magbabago sila, gagayahin ba nila ang naka-raang 9-1/2 taon nakaraan, ni GMA!,.magiting na “ekonomista daw”..palpak yata ?..o robot lang siya ng mga “kingmakers behind her “..sino ang may sala?..sino-sino sila?..
What is the Lapid issue?
re #7: In the articles, I said, “The report allegedly involved deals with suppliers.”
If you want to know more about it, you can google, you’ll have an idea.
Re #1. I agree, MB.
Ang mahirap dito sa bayan natin ay ang pananaw natin sa tourism secretary. Akala natin ay puro marketing at come-on slogans lang ang trabaho niya- MB
Your marketing will only succeed if the product is good. Yes, we have wonderful beaches, hospitable people, etc. etc. Pag dating mo naman sa airport, kahaba-haba ng pila sa immigration.
Paglabas mo, lolokohin ka ng taxi.
The problem of inadequate runways is also worrisome. Last Saturday, our plane had to wait for some 15 minutes up the air waiting for its turn to land because of crowded traffic on the runway.
It’s not the first time that it happened in a flight I was on. We have inadequate aviation and travel infrastructure and facilities. That cannot be covered up by promotion.
Hi everyone! May I just join the discussion re tourism in our country:
!. Airport- since the change in administration, the parking lot in front of NAIA 1, where we have to pay PHP35 to park is now teeming with beggars (kids), men who try to take your luggage and cart from you in exchange for money, and horror of all horrors…prostitutes! I go through our airports 2x a week, and it has never been this bad! In fact, just 2 weeks ago, I approached the Info counter to give feedback and the lady was so clueless as to why I am telling her about the situation at the parking area! I also informed the guard and his response was ” oo nga po ma’m eh”! One time, my colleagues and I were discussing the particular “airport smells” of various countries we go to..I was shocked to hear from them that after, Chinese, indian, Sri Lankan airports, they said that NAIA comes in next in the “stink” category! Maybe I’m so used to the scent that I do not smell anything unpleasant 🙂 , but this is feedback given by other nationalities. Yes, landing in NAIA takes so long, sometimes going around the air for as long as 4o minutes in cue, same as taking off! Worse is when asked for information by the pilots as to the delay..some replies have been as riduculous as operational “issues” and “the president is in the airport, so all flights are on hold”! weh! I will not go into the reaction of pilots…
2. Transport and handling – I can also see how the porters “milk” the OFW’s and the tourists, my DOT taxi driver tells me that sometimes, these porters do not let go of the luggages till they get their “dollars” mind you! One time I even had to pay for an OFW’s departure tax as the porter took her last 1,000 pesos! Speaking of DOT taxi’s..they used to have only 2 or three franchisees originally so as to “control” abuse. Now, they have so many franchise holders that it makes it difficult to trace! They are supposed to be metered but how many times have I been cheated upon arriving at the destination! One of my trusty DOT drivers said that his colleagues always take advantage of OFW’s and tourists.
Lastly…everything is just too expensive in Manila! I understand that businesses need to earn, but holiday money just goes a loong long way in Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, and other neighboring countries. It is a fact. Maybe businesses are overtaxed, if the government really wants to help the tourism industry, they should ease up on the taxes, including the most expensive travel a nd departure tax (PHP1650 for economy + PHP750) in the world!
How can you promote tourism when there are two insurgencies going on?
This is an excellent article on Bertie Lim. It places his resignation in the proper context.
http://www.bworld.com.ph/content.php?section=Opinion&title=Why-Bertie%E2%80%99s-resignation-makes-me-sad&id=36476
mb, Pnoy has no more use of Bertie Lim, that’s a fact. Meawhile, the KKK is getting stronger and is fully servicing the prez ‘personal’ needs for companionship. Ay ano ba yan? 🙂
As to Mark Lapid: “The report allegedly involved deals with suppliers.”… is something being done to investigate his dealings, or bahala na si Kris makipag-deal? Ahay!
Kulang pa pala yong “KKK” ng isa pang “K” …… kasintahan. No ba yan???
Chi re #15. Your question if “something being done to investigate his (Lapid’s)dealings…?
Mark Lapid is another untouchable. Malacanang needs the vote of his father on the bills they are pushing. It’s transactional politics/governance all over again.
In fact the Lapid issue was what President Aquino was referring when he spoke of cabinet secretaries giving him headaches. He was irritated that Lim didn’t want to let go of the Lapid issue.
The article of Fil Sta. Ana on BizWorld failed to mention that Bertie Lim committed political suicide. His “pocket open-skies”, whatever that means, was also an open invitation for the “investors” on Noynoy’s presidency to attack him.
To a businessman, further threats on the already slipping revenues of the flag carrier would force it to use all means fair and foul to preserve its business. More competition via open skies would mean longer payback on the political investment. Not to mention aggressive marketing by the main local competitor, CebuPac.
Mahirap yata LUSYUTAN ni Bertie yan!
Next, another major financier, the prez’ cousin who previously owned the flag carrier, had just inaugurated his first of 4 Airbus 320s in Clark as his newly-formed company enters into JV with a popular Asian budget airline. His CEO is Maan Hontiveros, a die hard Aquinista.
The plane is painted red but all I see is yellow.
Bertie’s short stint is unremarkable but I believe he was honest. He lacked creativity and vision, though.
Bertie’s short stint is unremarkable but I believe he was honest. He lacked creativity and vision, though.- Tongue.
Agree. Agree.
#17. Si Lim pa ang may deprensya, tsk, tsk, tsk! Same ol same ol!
Thanks, Ellen…the issue is now very clear to me.
Financial backing for a politician specially the president is really big not just in the Philippines but in all parts of the world. These businessmen support a candidate to reap the rewards later when the candidate wins. Nothing is new. Payback time. Pnoy will have a hard time following the “tuwid na daan” coz he may have had so many vulture supporters before.
Walang matinong magsisilbi sa gobierno kung ganyan ang kalakaran. The likes of the Lapids will be in power forever coz they know how to play the game. Yung mga straight guys, they get booted out!
So we need a competent dot secretary who can survive and maybe even conquer the politics? send in Gordon!
Jug, it is difficult to find one with your two qualifications. Usually, one with political connections is not competent and on the other one who is competent usually lacks political connections. But maybe we can find one among 90 million people!
De Jesus complained about virgina torres.
Lim Complained about Mark Lapid.
Both complainers “resigned” from the cabinet.
Moral lesson to cabinet members who complain to the boss about his KKKs:
Never, never raise issues and complain against KKKs, or else pupulutin kayo sa kangkongan. You never win and the KKKs are always in a win-win situation, kahit na corrupt sila.
Wala ata masyado pumansin dito, kahit sa mga mainstream media hindi ko ata nabasa o narinig.
Wala atang mga purong taga opposition na pumapansin sa mga mandarambong sa present admin, baka takot mabitin sa pork barrel. History nga naman – repeats by itself. wowwwwwaaaa, balik na naman tayo sa step 1, hindi pa nga napako si unana, panibago na namang krusada.