TIEZA chief operating officer Mark Lapid during the launch of the OTTSS at Conrad Hotel. (PNA photo by Joyce Rocamora) MANILA - The Philippine government has collected PHP2.3 billion in travel tax in 2022, raising optimism this year for the tourism industry severely battered by the pandemic. Data from the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA) showed that last year's PHP2.38 billion travel tax collected surpassed the combined figures from 2020 and 2021. Affected by a series of lockdowns and grounded flights, TIEZA was only able to collect PHP1.23 billion in 2020 and PHP359 million in 2021. "We're hoping to be back on our pre-pandemic collection which is about PHP7 billion," TIEZA chief operating officer Mark Lapid said in an interview Tuesday. "With the easement of all the restrictions that we have for outbound, together with other countries relaxing their restrictions and opening their borders, we're expecting a higher income," he
TROUBLED.Traditional jeepneys traverse Elliptical Road in Quezon City in this undated photo. Operators and drivers are up in arms over the planned phaseout of traditional units, with the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board settinga June 30, 2023 deadline.(PNA photo by Ben Briones) MANILA - The Senate unanimously adopted on Tuesday the resolution filed by Senator Grace Poe urging the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) to postpone the June 30 deadline on phasing out of traditional jeepneys as part of the Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program (PUVMP). All 24 senators were made co-authors in Senate Resolution No. 44.A public hearing is scheduled on Thursday. Traditional jeepney operators and drivers have announced a weeklong strike starting March 6 to protest the phaseout. "The LTFRB should be reminded that jeepney drivers do not have deep pockets. The most recent study estimates that their average daily take-home pay is a meager PHP75
MANILA - The northeast monsoon or "amihan" will affect most of Luzon on Saturday, bringing overcast skies and some rains. In its 4 a.m. weather bulletin, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said the "amihan" will bring cloudy skies with rains to the Cagayan Valley and Cordillera regions, as well as Aurora province. Metro Manila and the rest of Luzon will experience partly cloudy to at times cloudy skies with light rains, also due to the "amihan." On the other hand, partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rain showers or thunderstorms will prevail over Palawan, the Visayas, and Mindanao due to localized thunderstorms. Winds in Luzon will be moderate to strong and headed northeast, resulting in moderate to rough seas. The eastern sections of the Visayas and Mindanao will experience similar wind speeds but headed east to northeast, with moderate to rough seas. The rest of the country, meanwhile, will h
RELIEF AID. Personnel from the Office of 1st Congressional District Representative Paolo Z. Duterte hand out relief assistance to a family affected by the flash flood in Davao City on Feb. 22, 2023. The heavy rainstorm on Tuesday evening (Feb. 21) caused the river to overflow and forced at least 1,093 families or 4,300 individuals to flee their homes. (Photo courtesy of 1st Congressional District's office) DAVAO CITY - At least a thousand families affected by the flash flood here on Feb. 21 have received relief assistance from the Office of the 1st Congressional District Representative Paolo Z. Duterte. In a statement Friday, the lawmaker's office said emergency food packs, hot porridge, and breakfast are being provided to the flood victims in the eight barangays affected from Feb. 22 until they return home. The affected barangays are 2-A, 5-A, 8-A, 9-A, 10-A, 19-B, Matina Gravahan and Maa. On Tuesday evening, authorities ordered an evacuation in the eight low-lying villages fo
EU DELEGATES. A delegation of European legislators holds press conference on the last day of their official Manila visit on Friday (Feb. 24, 2023). From left, Ryszard Czarnecki, Isabel Wiseler-Lima, Hannah Neumann, Karsten Lucke and Miguel Urban Crespo. (PNA photo) MANILA - A delegation of European legislators said the human rights situation in the Philippines is "better" under the current administration compared to the time of former President Rodrigo Duterte. "It is better than it was under President Duterte, I think that we can clearly state. We clearly had the impression that everyone was very willing to discuss human rights issue with us which has not been the case under the previous administration," Hannah Neumann, vice president of the European Parliament (EP) Subcommittee on Human Rights, said in a press conference Friday. Neumann was speaking in Makati on the last day of her delegation's official Manila visit where they met with government officials and