PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. chose to announce in Cebu his administration’s desire to build around 1 million housing units each year during his term, in an effort to help solve the housing backlog in the country.
The occasion was the ceremonial groundbreaking of the Cebu City South Coastal Urban Development Housing Project which is part of the government’s Pambansang Pabahay Para sa Pilipino Program (4PH).
Official data showed that the nation’s housing backlog has ballooned to some 6.5 million housing units over the years, and President Marcos is determined to do his part to lessen it.
The President has cited the early achievements of the Department of Housing and Urban Settlements under Secretary Jerry Acuzar, whom he praised for going the extra mile and even lending his own heavy equipment for the use of the government in implementing projects. Marcos said he is happy that he chose Acuzar, a successful real estate developer and chairman-president of New San Jose Builders, to head the housing department where he makes good use of his expertise.
‘Secretary Frasco said she wanted the Philippines to get a bigger slice of the global golf tourism market, which was valued at $21.74 billion in 2021.’
Tourism, meanwhile, is one sector the recovery of which is most pronounced in Cebu, also known as the Queen City of the South. The primary reason for this is the presence of popular tourist destinations in the island which is originally endowed by mother nature with dive sites and pristine beaches, more places for water leisure activities such as scuba diving, canyoning, whale shark and turtle shows, etc. Add to these are historical sites and museums such as Magellan’s Cross and Fort San Pedro, and religious ones because Cebu was where Christianity was introduced by the Spaniards four centuries ago.
A secondary reason, of course, is that the current tourism secretary is a Cebuana, Christina Frasco, the former mayor of Liloan town which is just 22 km from Cebu City, the seat of the provincial government where her mother works as governor.
It is understandable if Secretary Frasco is putting more effort in Liloan, as others like Cordova are already beneficiaries of the 8.5-km Cebu-Cordova Link Expressway (CCLEX), the third bridge that connects the outlying communities of the two islands of Cebu and Mactan.
Frasco’s appeal to the business community in Liloan to help her ramp up tourism in her town has been met with enthusiasm. The Department of Tourism chief cited the efforts of the Duros group headed by developers Lito and Fe Barino who have invested in Liloan’s first high-rise hotel and a nearby championship golf course.
Secretary Frasco said she wanted the Philippines to get a bigger slice of the global golf tourism market, which was valued at $21.74 billion in 2021. With the COVID-19 pandemic over and the golf courses in the country — there are around 110 of them — are beginning to feel reinvigorated with golfers both foreign and local returning to play, the tourism secretary is on the right track, marketing-wise. Metro Manila, Clark, Pampanga-Tarlac, and Cebu are ideal places for the golf sub-sector of tourism to thrive, fueled by the popularity of golf in South Korea, Japan, and China.
Both housing and tourism are important areas where jobs can be created by the government in a matter of weeks, boosting further its economic recovery efforts.
