Source: Manila Bulletin, 22 May 2012
By JC Bello Ruiz
MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Jejomar C. Binay wants the private sector to help develop the old walled city of Intramuros in Manila into a tourist hub.
The Vice President issued his appeal to the private sector in the wake of reports that the historic landmark is among the 10 sites in Asia listed by the Global Heritage Fund that are facing “irreparable loss and destruction.”
Binay at a recent forum said public-private partnership (PPP) should be tapped to hasten the development of Intramuros as a tourist hub.
“Based on our own experience in Makati City, I always say that our projects are successful because we involve the private sector,” said Binay, a long-time mayor of the country’s financial center.
“It seems the development of Intramuros as a tourism site is taking some time, so perhaps it’s just right that we ask for help from the private sector,” he said.
The Intramuros Administration is the national government agency tasked to restore old walled city during the Spanish Era and develop it into a prime urban tourist destination.
The Global Heritage Fund had reported that Intramuros is among the “architectural treasures in danger of vanishing under a tide of economic expansion, war and tourism.”
As for the informal settlers in the area, Binay said that they should be relocated if the courts would order so.
The Vice President said that the tourism industry in the country has huge potential but then the government should build the needed infrastructures through PPP to attract more tourists.
The Vice President related that during his visit to South Korea last March, travel agencies there complained that there are times that hotels in the Philippines could not accommodate all their clients who want to visit the country.
Binay had also proposed the creation of a “Martial Law Museum” as another tourist draw in the Philippines.
