1) Terrorism threat. - It's a shame to the Philippine government, because no matter how much they announce that the Philippines is a safer place to be and the terrorism threat if not eliminated... is moderated... other countries are not so convinced because travel advisories to the Philippines were never taken off the hook (I am not sure about the Koreans... maybe they're an exemption?)
2) Possible kidnapping of Travellers. - Could possibly be a part of terrorism. Pati pari kinikidnap!!! Are the Filipino people this desperate to catch the Philippine Government's attention? I would say yes. I am not on the kidnappers side. I condemn kidnapping especially the abduction of priests and volunteers... condsidering how old they are... they may not endure the bush life with the so called "taong labas" a.k.a rebels. I also feel for the victims because they were only assigned to serve the people in the middle a war zone... and they mean no harm. Sa mga rebelde naman eh sana, humanap nalang po kayo ng katapat nyo. Andaming pulutiko jan na masarap targetin.. bat hindi sila... di nyo kaya ang body guard nila? I don't mean to to add fuel to the fire... but for an ordinary Filipino who is tired of the war, graft and corruption, and poverty, for sure that's exactly the words that they would say.
3) Cons. - I am wondering if there is a complaints department at Centennial Airport (NAIA Terminal II)... I just entered the Philippines after years of missing the place... and I had been CONNED. Just a tip... when a stranger offers help.. JUST SAY NO. Otherwise, prepare your dollar notes or a few hundreds of pesos to pay these so called-hospitable and helpful airport staff! After long hours of flight and paying a significant amount of airfare, kikikilan ka lang? How would the Philippines attract tourists if in the entrance, the devils are already lurking and looking for victims? Guess what... I am no longer confident recommending the Philippines as a tourist destination to other nationalities...
4) Pollution. - Even Boracay is on its way to getting polluted... without the help of the visitors from overseas, the Boracay cleaning up had never made possible... Meron pa rin namang mga pinoy na nagtataguyod ng kalinisan... pero mas maraming taong walang paki alam sa kapaligiran!!! What type of rubbish did they pick up under water?
Cans, Packets, Plastic containers, beer bottles and more! What on earth were these people thinking before throwing their trash into the water? Ganyan ba kayo sa bahay bahay nyo? Magtatapon kayo ng lata ng softdrinks sa aquarium niyo?
Apart from the above, there are little bits and pieces of factors contributing to the slow flow of the Philippine Tourism... but if we perhaps start to get rid of these four major factors, the Philippine Government could profit a lot in Tourism (at tiyak may makukurakot nanaman ang mga naka upo).
Such a shame that I love the Philippines and there are places in this country with a lot to offer, the views, the smiles of the locals, the tropical feel and fresh air(except Manila and other polluted cities)... I couldn't wait to tell the world about how beautiful my motherland is....
But not for now... not in a while.
Well... here's a video showcasing the Philippine Tourism... I'm hoping that this song could inspire the fellow Filipinos or the other nationalities who love this Nation... honestly, I don't know how we could fix the corruption issues, but maybe if we could start in our own little good ways, someday we'll get there.
