Press Release
January 26, 2006
Angara bats for tourism policy anchored on history and culture
Senator Edgardo J. Angara today advocated for Philippine tourism
policy to be anchored on our country's historical and cultural
heritage, as well as environmental endowments.
"The most successful tourist destinations - countries like Italy,
Spain and France - capitalize on their history, culture and natural
beauty. Tourism alone is a key factor in driving their economies.
Even our neighbors Cambodia and Thailand have done significant work
in preserving their heritage and attracting more visitors," said
Angara.
The Senate is now deliberating Senator Richard Gordon's bill
establishing a national policy on tourism as a primary engine for
development.
In the course of debate, Angara said that the Philippines is an
immensely beautiful country, with great but largely untapped
potentials for agro-tourism. He added that Filipinos have been
recipients of a rich cultural influence, especially from the
Spanish.
"We must learn to embrace our past. No country can say it has never
been colonized at one point in its history. So whatever influences
we've had, whatever changes has happened in our cultural and
physical landscape - we must take the best out of each culture and
show it off as distinctly ours," Angara said.
Angara called for government to invest time and resources in
preserving and reconstructing our destroyed Hispanic architecture
and art.
"Many of our historical and national treasures either lay in
shambles or are subjected to constant neglect. We should do to the
Banaue Rice Terraces and to Intramuros what the Cambodians did to
the Angkor Wat - preserve and protect them not only as main tourism
attractions but as windows to our rich past," he said. |