How the Pandemic Kills the Tourism Industry of this Town

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

BOLINAO, Pangasinan - Former Pangasinan First District Congressman Jesus “Boying” Celeste said that out of 100 percent of tourists who used to visit this rustic town that abounds with chic and cozy hotels and resorts only five percent of the tourists patronize them.

He said that businessmen have been slumped by the pandemic after they could not pay the amortization in the banks where they owed loan they used to finance the construction of their establishments.

"Kawawa sila, binebenta na lang nila ang mga properties nila (I pity them because they have been selling their properties to survive),” the nine years’ term solon deplored how these traders faced a bank wall with their dilemma.

 A BELEAGUERED resort in Bolinao, Pangasinan. One of the many resorts and hotels affected by the fallout of the pandemic's Corona Virus Disease-19 that wreck havoc the Philippines' economy. Photo by Mortz C. Ortigoza

Celeste explained that the pandemic’s bellied up the tourism industry of the town whose pristine beaches are among the best in Northern Luzon that catered to foreign and local tourists.

”Malaki epekto nito dahil ang First District ay iyan ang pinakamalaking industry dito sa ating distrito ngayon ay turismo. Kaya noong (inaudible) ito’y malaking bagay ito. Maraming nawalan ng trabaho nawala ang income ng bawat mga establishment at saka ang naano ko rito mahirap ma recover (The havoc wrought by the pandemic was a major blow to the First District whose biggest industry is tourism. Many became jobless and lost their incomes because of the closures of many establishment. I saw they will have a tough time to recover),” he explained.

The First Congressional District hosts Hundred Islands National Park, one of the favorite tourist destinations in the north of the country, the famous rivers, springs, and sandy beaches of Bolinao, mangrove protected area and bird watching site in Bani, and ideal for cave spelunking in Mabini, Infanta, Bani towns.

Tourism in the country contributes 12.7 percent of the Philippines’s gross domestic product (GDP) and provides 5.4 million jobs in 2018. It was the hardest hit sector since the pandemic ran berserk in February 2020.

To pump prime the industry the government, according to Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat, funded with P14 billion to rehabilitate the tourism infrastructures. P5 billion will be allocated to projects in Bohol, Pampanga, Pangasinan, Corregidor Island, and other tourist destinations. The construction of those infrastructures started in 2019 and have been seen to be the linchpin of thousands of new jobs.