WEDNE5DAY FEBRUARY 5, 2O2O I
Measures sought to check nCoV
By MaricelV. Cruz
A AMBIS-OWA Parw-list Rep. Sharon Garin on Tuesday
A saia Congress was set to ta&le several pieces of legislation
l- \that would cushion the impact of novel cor6navirus (2019-
nCoV) in the tourism sector.
Ar llrc siine tirne, Garin, chairpe$on
of the House Committee on Economic
Affairs, said she would meet with the
ilc.use of Representativcs' Comnittee
tn :lix:l-isr.- "ir*aded by Lag l1a Rep. Sol
.i,i.
"'r i\
corrLcrneJ
.,-i. ,;O!entr.tc,.i agenCieS
lelp iegislators iu assessing
the shofi- and medium-term efects ofthe
novei coronavirus in the tourism indus-
try in order to come up with measures
to address the looming problem.
'We need to coordinate with all the
agencies concemed so that we ca:r ad-
dress what if we lose all this 20 percent
of our tourists. What do we do? What
are our altematives? And we have yet
to discuss that with the Department of
Tourism," Garin said.
With major stakeholders bracing for
, tourism indusfy losses of over P20 bil-
particularly the fave destinations for ex- toudsm sector,
heme sports and ecotourism," Mllafuerte, "It should not be a just a wait-and-see
Camarines Sur's Second District, said.
Garin said dmong the legislation that
attitude because we don't want our tourism
industry to suffef" Cayetano said.
they would consider include the creation Citing data from the Tourism depart-
of economic zones that are expected to ment, Cayetano said 1.63 million of the
generate employment and inveslnents total 7.4 million intemational tourist ar-
that may lost due to the loss in the number rivals ftom January to November of2019
lion resulting from lower foreign visitor oftoulists. were Chinese.
arrivals at the onset of the nCoV ou! Garin voiced concem about the work- In addition, mainland Chinese are con-
brealg Deputy Speaker LRay Villafterte ers in tle tourism indusay who might lose sideted the second biggest tourist spende$
urged the DOT to make a mcne aggres- jobs, tbus her proposal to creaie molle inthe Philippines ngxt tothe Soutb Kore-
sive campaign to entice domestic tourists economic zones. ans, spending $979.4 mitlion or amrurd
"This [decrease in the purrtbt: of FJI bilhon in &e first halicf l0l9^
to visit local "hotspof' destinations, such
as those for exteme spofis and ecotour- touristsl has a very substantial eco- The llouse also issued a health advi-
ism, instead ofgoing abroad once this vi- nomic impact and we need to address sory to all its members, employees, and
ral thieat subsides. that," Garin said. guests recommending the measures tr: fol-
"As the iourism indusfy braces for a '"This is a problem not only of China low to avoid contracting and the spread of
major hit with the timely imposition by but of the rest of the world. We need to the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV).
hesident Duterte of a tempomry havel address this not only on the health side In an advisory lssued by Secretary
ban to China and its terriiories Hong but also in the economic sidQ so we General Jose Luis Montales, members,
Kong and Macarl and io include all for- really need to tackle this here in Con: employees, consriltants, contractors, sup-
eigners who have visited these areas over gress especi3lly economic affairs and pliers, visitors and guests are'highly rec-
tle past two weels, it is time for the DOT tourism," Garin spid. ommended" to practice self-quarantine
to make a more aggressive push for do- On Monday, Speaker Alaa Peter for 14 dayg upo4 anival in the pounty if
mestic tourism among our counfiryrnen Cayetano urged the two committees to tley have traveled io countries or ierriio-
once the current viral tlrcat subsides, by assess the short- and medium-term ef- ries with documented cases of the 2019-
selling to our countrymen our 'hotspots,: fects of the novel coronavirus on the nCoV from Jan. 20 onwards.
u ntgs 'Ab/