My skin is tanned for all the days I drenched in sweat under the scorching heat.

My hands are calloused

for all the fields and crops I plowed and my throat is dry for the long hours of non-stop work. With the
storm that devastated my lands. With the heavy clouds that darkened my days; I am who I am today.
Hardworking. Resilient. A Filipino.

Our forefathers built our nation out of pure sweat and blood. We are known all over the world as the
race that doesn’t quit, of the great ____ of challenges. With this kind of character, imagine where the
Philippines would be as a state if given a steadfast economy, an economy which can uphold all its
citizens allow them to live a good quality of life free from poverty, food scarcity, unemployment and
illiteracy – a life free from social injustices and danger.

For more than 6 decades now, our country has been considered as a third world country – ceaselessly
thriving to meet all of its potentials. Fortunately for the past few years, glitches of progress have
surpassed the Philippines; economically, politically and socially.

The Philippines’ economic potential heavily lies on its natural resources given that the archipelago is
blessed with diverse life forms and environmental treasures.

TOURISM?

The Philippines is a country with a lot to offer within the tourism sector. With its 7,107 islands, it offers
diversity in culture and wide-range destinations, white-sand beaches, hidden islands and historical
places that constitutes the richness of the archipelago. Because of these reasons, the past
administrations were able to implement different programs that improved the economic standing of our
country through promoting tourism.

Wow Philippines with its primary goal of revitalizing tourism in the country allowed tourism to take a
noticeable shift from a local centric stance to an internationally accommodating one which enable the
Philippines to compete against its Southeast Asian neighbors’ programs, Amazing Thailand, Uniquely
Singapore and Malaysia Truly Asia. It’s More Fun in the Philippines on the other hand, increased the
tourist arrivals by 19% with 4.7 million visitors between 2011 and 2013.

Through our current Philippine President Rodrigo Roa Duterte’s BUILD, BUILD, BUILD program, there are
75 flagship projects on increasing the number of infrastructures in the Philippines. According to
Rappler’s report, 19 projects are set to start in 2019, eleven in 2020 and five for 2021.

In accord with the attempt to boost the economy, these projects will be beneficial to a breakthrough in
tourism.

On the other hand, continuous imposition of projects that potentially heightens the economy provokes
detrimental effects to our natural resources, which, as we all know, the Philippine islands is rich in. For
instance, in Baguio, SM Hotels and Conventions Corporation (SMHCC) is currently expanding its
portfolio. This translates to trees being cut, which may eventually result to more frequent landslides in
the area, like the damage caused by landslides during Typhoon Ompong, where twenty people died in
the Cordillera Region alone.

These can contribute by improving the accommodation and transportation services that will definitely
be one of the defining factors of a tourist’s vacation, more than the tourist’s ulterior motive, which is to
see the attraction itself, or visit a particular spot. For instance, one of the existing projects is the Metro
Manila Subway project, which is meant to provide rapid transit for the convenience of the local citizens
and foreign visitors alike. This includes three stations: Metro Manila, Bulacan, and Cavite. In the same
manner, infrastructures also cater for the leisure of tourists by providing amenities, which James Stuart,
managing partner of Asia’s branding company for hospitality The Brand Co., deemed important for an
additional influx of tourists.