I've put this in the "What's New" thread, even though these articles are a few months ago - from April of this year.
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The Philippine Star 13 April 2018Corregidor to be revived as tourist destination.
The Corregidor Foundation Inc. is all set to break ground for the island’s full restoration to become the Philippines’ next must-see destination for tourists seeking to experience a piece of history, plus a total mindbody-spiritual rejuvenation and relaxation.
Former tourism undersecretary and fitness guru Cynthia Lagdameo Carrion, recently appointed to head the Foundation, is seeking to tap into the fast emerging memorial tourism market and the $691-million wellness and faith tourism.
Other members of the foundation’s board are Tourism Secretary Wanda Teo, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, retired AFP chief Gen. Rey Leonardo Guerrero and TIEZA COO Joselito Paragas.
The tadpole-shaped Corregidor Island is more than a historical landmark that had seen the heroism and passion for freedom of our soldiers in World War II when the Island served as the harbor defenses of Manila Bay.
“It is beyond being a historical landmark. Corregidor Island’s varied terrain is home to a vast array of century-old trees, including fruit-bearing trees. Greening and reforesting the island will further improve its ecosystem and level up its biological diversity that will be perfect as a bird-watching sanctuary, and an adventure, wellness and relaxation refuge,” said Carrion.
“A trek on its rolling terrain, side-by-side with friendly monkeys while enjoying the vista of the seas of Manila Bay and nearby islands is an invigorating experience,” she added.
Carrion lamented that the foundation does not even have a website or social media platform. She hopes to transform it into a government corporation, as directed by the Governance Commission of GOCCs (GCG) since 2014.
“We cannot just sit down and witness the alarming and fast-declining number of visitors to the island. The meager 51,000 visitors in 2017 is a shame compared to the 4.16 million visitors of Korea’s War Veterans Memorial, or neighboring Cambodia’s Choeung Ek, The Killing Fields with its 210,000 visitors in 2016, or to Vietnam’s Veterans Memorial that had 5.07 million visitors in same year,” said Carrion.
“It’s time to take a look at how we can promote and market this island to the world. We are set to launch a strong digital marketing thrust to reach global markets in the soonest time possible.”
Corregidor all set to boost global presence as a tourist destination(Press release dated April 11, 2018) Corregidor is about to undergo a full-restoration: this time, it readies itself to become the next must-see destination in the Philippines for tourists all over the world. The tadpole-shaped Corregidor Island is more than the most historical memorial landmark in the Pacific that had seen the drama of our gallant men’s heroism and passion for freedom back World War II when the island loftily served as the harbor defenses of Manila Bay. According to Corregidor Foundation Inc. Chairman Cynthia Lagdameo Carrion, “greening and reforesting the Island will further improve its ecosystem and level up its biological diversity that will set perfect grounds as a bird-watching sanctuary, and a mix of adventure, wellness and relaxation refuge.” Through this full restoration, the Island seeks to promote itself to become at par with the world’s best tourist destinations. To do this, the foundation plans to soon knock the doors of the national governments and private patrons. “We believe that the Corregidor Island is a perfect place to enjoy the best of tropical Philippines, a picture-perfect showcase of the variety of fun and adventure offered on its land, sea and air. We beg the Filipino nation therefore to come together and help prepare this piece of historical paradise into an ultimate relaxation and fun adventure sanctuary the world will keep on coming back to,” quips Carrion.
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I have an interesting link, also,
from the Manila Times. ------------------
3 November 2017
Commissions for GOCCs abet looting of public coffers(Visit the article for the full text. What follows is a commentary, so read it at your peril.)The law established the Governance Commission for government-owned and -controlled corporations (GCG) under the Office of the President to implement a new governance system, design the rules and regulations, and apply the rules on all GOCCs.
For those wanting to understand how it works, here's a visual guide.
Lots of luck with this. There will be a pop quiz later.
As things have turned out, RA 10149 has not worked. The governance mechanism has not stopped the looting of public coffers; indeed, it abets looting by approving the financial schemes devised by the GOCCs.
Corregidor Foundation Inc was not referenced in the Manila Times article at all. The relevance of my choosing this link arises from the question which the article itself raises, namely whether this corrupt system (
the Manila Times' words, not mine) will be tolerated and will continue under President Duterte. To his credit, President Duterte has announced that the looting will stop. Announcing, and making it so do suffer from a time lag. And as is universal with politics, for every credibility gap, there will be a gullibility fill.
Corregidor has long been a curious instance though, because generally, after the costs of cutting the grass, clearing the major access trails, recuperating after typhoons and cleaning the foreshores are subtracted from its income from Tourism, there is very little money left. Most of the money earned by Corregidor is earned in Manila anyway, and it is not earned by CFI. It is earned by the company which owns its boat service, runs its day tours and has the concession on its accommodation. The income earned by the concessionaire is commercial in confidence, because it is a private corporation. Essentially it's not earned ON Corregidor at all.
Thus, when Corregidor Inn closed for a year to be refurbished, it was a bleak year indeed. Numbers of tourists fell (not just because of the Inn's closure) , and with it CFI's income, and commensurately, its ability to maintain the island.
So the executive bonuses lamented by the Manila Times have occurred elsewhere (Philippine Health Insurance Corp, or Philhealth (P1,651,084,000) Development Bank of the Philippines (P216,801,000), Region 7 Water Districts (P186,584,000), Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (P54,829,000), Philippine Economic Zone Authority (P48,500,000), Home Development Mutual Fund, or Pag-IBIG Fund (P37,636,000)
, Butuan City Water District (P28,243,000), Development Academy of the Philippines (P23,838,000), Philippine National Oil Co.–Exploration Corp., or PNOC-EC (P14,518,000), Mactan-Cebu International Airport Authority, or MCIAA (P14,406,000)
and do not involve Corregidor at all. They just illustrate how in the thicket of Government involvement and rule making, particularly in areas where there is no right of transparency, no one has any idea WTF is going on, least of all yours truly. The rich and powerful get richer and more powerful, and the rest of us remain clueless. So it is everywhere, this is not just a rant on Corregidor.
Meanwhile, be on the lookout for unicorn turds as you alight on the wharf.