President Duterte could declare special holidays in Metro Manila in January to ease the traffic when the Philippines hosts the Miss Universe 2017 beauty pageant, which is expected to “put the Philippines on the map” of the best tourist destinations worldwide.
Tourism Secretary Wanda Corazon T. Teo said on Thursday she will request to declare special holidays in Metro Manila during the coronation night and related events of the Miss Universe 2017 pageant to ease the traffic.
“I think he will agree,” Teo said in a news conference in Malacañang, when asked whether the President would declare special holidays during the Miss Universe 2017 pageant, which will organize events in the Philippines starting January 13 up to the coronation night on January 30.
Street children and vendors will also be kept off the streets during that stretch, but Teo said it would be up to the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) how such “eyesores” would be kept out of sight of the visitors.
Teo said the Philippines expects to gain much in terms of popularity among tourists in its hosting of the Miss Universe pageant, despite all the expenses for such hosting being shouldered by the private sector.
She said the group of former Ilocos Sur Gov. Chavit Singson will raise $11 million, or some P500 million, to cover the expenses for the Philippines’s hosting of the event.
“I’m sure that after the Miss Universe, the Philippines will be on the world map. Everybody will be looking at us because during the Miss Universe contest, all the beautiful places, the destinations will be featured,” Teo said.
“They will see the Philippines and the candidates will be going around the country. There are places that we have identified where they will be going. After that, I’m very sure that we will be on the world map,” she added. Aside from Metro Manila, the candidates for the pageant will go around Davao, Cebu and Vigan. The coronation night is scheduled on January 30 at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
Teo said the Department of Tourism (DOT) is coordinating with the National Security Council to ensure the security during the events amidst terrorist threats made by the Abu Sayyaf Group in response to the intensified military operations to wipe them out.
1 comment
Pootang inang kaplastikan akala ko ba wala ng ganyan sa gobyerno???