THIRTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC 
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First Regular Session 
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OF THE PHILIPPINES 
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S E N A T E  
S. No. f 0.8 
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Introduced by Senator Edgardo J. Angara 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
The Philippines is endowed with great scenic beauty, historically 
significant sites, cultural resources and a population whose traditions are 
attractive to tourists. These assets should be preserved and nurtured, not only 
because they are appreciated by others but because they are valued by the 
country's very own citizens. 
Tourism is beneficial to our society as a whole. 
It helps improve our 
economic well-being by contributing to employment, generating income for local 
businesses and increasing international trade. 
It sparks an awareness in the 
eyes of our own people and of the world to the beauty of our land, its history, 
culture and traditions. 
It provides an indispensable educational tool for our 
people to learn about their geography and history, political institutions, artistic 
and historic wealth. 
The National Government, for the past years, has encouraged tourism and 
recreation explicitly in a number of decrees, executive orders and legislative 
enactments. However, the tourism industry is confronted with problems of policy 
directions and effective coordination with government agencies and private 
sector groups. There is a need to lay down integrated and coordinated policies, 
plans, and strategies that the industry will follow for the accomplishment of 
tourism-related programs and projects. 
It is the purpose of this bill to lay down the policies for the tourism industry 
and create an interagency coordination council to efficiently and effectively 
coordinate the functions and resources of government agencies in tourism 
programs geared toward the attainment of such policies. 
EDGARDO J. ANGARA 


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THIRTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC 
first Regular Session 
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OF THE PHILIPPINES 
S E N A T E  
S. No. 
. 10.31 
_ _  
Introduced by Senator Edgardo J, Angara 
AN ACT 
ESTABLISHING A NATIONAL TOURISM POLICY AND FOR OTHER 
PURPOSES 
Be it enacted by fhe Senafe and House of Representatives of the Philippines in 
Congress assembled: 
SECTION 1. Title. - This Act shall be known as the “National Tourism 
Policy Act of 2001”. 
SEC. 2. National Tourism Policy. - It is the policy of the Government to: 
a. 
Maximize the economic potential in the development of Philippine 
tourism resources to benefit a wider base of the Filipino population; 
b. 
Develop tourism for and by the Filipino people to improve their quality 
of life, conserve and promote their heritage and heighten their 
national identify and sense of unity; 
c. 
Develop tourism, to ensure the utilization of indigenous resources 
and at the same time provide for the protection of the country’s 
ecological balance; 


d. 
e. 
h. 
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Instill a sense of history, patriotism and nationalism among 
the youth of the country by establishing tourism as an 
integral part of the educational system; 
Continuously increase foreign exchange earnings and 
generate maximum employment opportunities for Filipinos in 
tourism-oriented establishments and projects; 
Achieve a balance in tourism development between urban 
and rural areas; 
Encourage competition in the tourism industry and maximize 
consumer choice by enhancing the continued viability of the 
retail travel industry and independent tour-operation industry; 
Motivate and encourage the active participation of the 
private sector in the development and promotion of tourism 
by providing investment incentive and entrusting to them the 
final responsibility for marketing tourism products and 
services; 
Broaden international relations and support tourism-related 
projects of the private sector, including partnerships, joint 
ventures, and other cooperative enterprises involving the 
Philippines and foreign private entities; 
Promote the conventional handling capabilities of the country 
in order to regain its position as a leading convention center 
in Asia; 
Assist in the collection, analysis, and dissemination of data 
which accurately measure the economic and social impact of 
tourism in the country in order to facilitate planning in the 
public and private sectors; 
Provide a strong government organization that will effectively 
efficiently direct, implement, and coordinate the functions 


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and resources required to institutionalize the priority position 
of the tourism industry within the country's political 
framework; 
Ensure the integration of important and basic functions in 
one government body in order to effectively implement 
tourism policies to achieve maximum benefit from tourism; 
and 
Recognize and give due attention to the principles of the 
manila Declaration on World Tourism Conference held 
October I ,  1980 and the Tourism Bill of Rights and Tourist 
Code of 1985 of the General Assembly of World Tourism 
Organization Session, dated October 17 to 26, 1985, both of 
which focus on the true and human rights and fundamental 
freedom for all without distinction. 
m. 
n. 
SEC. 3. Creation of a Tourism Council. - An interagency, coordinating 
council is hereby created to be known as the Tourism Council, hereinafter 
referred to as the Council. The Council shall be attached to the Department of 
Tourism. 
SEC. 4. Board of Directors. - The powers and functions of the Council 
shall be vested in and exercised by a Board of Directors which shall be 
composed of the Secretary of Tourism as Chairman, the Secretary of Budget and 
Management, Secretary of Transportation, Secretary of Labor, Secretary of 
Financb, Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Secretary of Public Works and Highways, 
Director of the Bureau of Air Transportation, Commissioner of Immigrations, and 
Commissioner of Customs, as members. The Council shall have its principal 
office in Metropolitan Manila. The members of the Council shall serve without 
additional compensation, but shall be reimbursed for actual expenses, including 
travel expenses, incurred by them in carrying out the duties of the Council. 
Each member may designate an alternate to attend sessions of the 


Council when unable to attend. The alternate must be of sufficient rank and 
properly authorized to make decisions committing his agency. The Council shall 
conduct its first meeting not later than ninety (90) days after the date of the 
effectivity of this Act. Thereafter, the Council shall meet regularly once a month 
and may hold special meetings to consider urgent matters upon the call of the 
Chairman or a majority of its members. The Council shall provide the Board with 
the necessary secretariat support. 
SEC. 5. Powers and Functions. - The Council shall have the following 
powers and functions: 
a. Assist in the formation of plans, programs and projects for 
tourism and design long-term strategies for the accomplishment 
of the policies set out herein; 
b. Determine the participation and coordinate the plans, programs 
and projects of member agencies which significantly affect 
tourism and recreation; 
c. Monitor, review and evaluate the effective exercise by these 
agencies of their assigned functions and develop areas of 
cooperative program activity; 
d. Assist in resolving conflicts in interagency plans, programs and 
projects; 
e. Seek and receive concerns and views of national and local 
governments and the Tourism Advisory Board with respect to 
government plans, programs and projects which may conflict 
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with the orderly.growth and development of tourism; 
f. Assist in the maximum participation of the private sector in 
tourism development; 
g.' Initiate and recommend new legislation and amendments to 
existing laws as may be necessary for the attainment of 
government objectives in tourism; 


h. Submit an annual report for the preceding fiscal year to the 
President of the Philippines for transmittal to Congress on or 
before the thirty-first day of December of each year. The report 
shall include: 
i) 
A comprehensive and detailed report of the activities 
and accomplishment of the Council and its policy 
committees; 
ii) 
The results of efforts to coordinate the plans, 
programs and projects of member-agencies affecting 
tourism and recreation and its efforts to resolve 
interagency conflicts and to develop areas of 
cooperative program activity. 
i. Exercise or perform such other powers and functions as may be 
deemed necessary, proper, or incidental to the attainment of its 
purpose and objectives. 
SEC. 6. Tourism Advisory Board. - A Tourism Advisory Board is hereby 
created, hereinafter referred to in this section as the Board, to be composed 
often (IO) members to be elected from members of existing travel-related 
associations of the private sector and representatives from city and provincial 
tourism councils, subject to the following: 
a. The members of the Board shall be elected from among citizens 
who are not government employees and shall be chosen so as 
to provide as nearly as practicable a broad representation of 
different geographical regions and with the diverse and varied 
segments of the tourism industry; 
b. Six (6) of the members shall be senior executive officers of the 
following organizations engaged in the travel and tourism 
industry: 
(1 ) the Philippine Travel Agents Association; 


(2) the Hotel and Restaurant Association of the Philippines; 
(3) the Association of Professional Congress Organizers of 
the Philippines; 
(4) the Board of Airline Representatives; 
(5) the Airlines Operating Council; and 
(6) a labor organization representing employees of the 
tourism industry. 
c. Of the remaining four (4) members of Board - 
(I) 
One shall be chosen from the members of regional 
tourism councils; 
(2) One shall be a consumer advocate from the organized 
public interest community; 
(3) One shall be an economist, statistician, or accountant; 
and 
(4) One shall be an individual from the academic corj7munity 
who is knowledgeable in tourism, recreation or national 
heritage conservation. 
A list of the members shall be forwarded by the Secretary of Tourism to 
the Senate Committee on Tourism. The members of the Board shall receive no 
compensation for their services as such, but shall be allowed necessary travel 
expenses. The Board shall meet at least four (4) times a year and shall hold such 
other meetings at the call of the Chairman or a majority of its members. 
SEC. 7. Term of Office. - The members of the Board shall be elected 
for a term of office of three (3) years. However, the first five members elected 
shall have a term of one (I) 
year and the other five shall be elected for a term of 
two (2) years. Any member elected by his respective association or council to fill 
a vacancy occurring before the expiration of the term for which the member’s 
predecessor was elected shall be elected only for the remainder of such term. A 
member may serve after the expiration of his term until successor has taken 


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office. No member of the Board shall be eligible to serve in excess of two (2) 
consecutive terms of three (3) years each. 
SEC. 8. Powers and Functions. - The Board shall have the following 
powers and functions: 
a. Advise and assist the Secretary of Tourism in developing major 
tourism marketing policies and coordinating national tourism 
programs with local and regional promotional organizations and 
the private sector. 
b. Submit an annual report concerning its activities and include 
therein such recommendations as it deems appropriate on the 
operation and effectiveness of plans, programs and projects 
under this Act. Each annual report shall cover a fiscal year and 
shall be submitted on or before the thirty-first day of December 
following the close of the fiscal year. 
SEC. 9. Appropriation. - A regular appropriation shall be included in the 
annual General Appropriation Act for the implementation of the provisions of this 
Act. 
SEC. I O .  Repeal. - All laws, decrees and executive order inconsistent 
with the provisions of this Act are hereby repealed or modified accordingly. 
SEC. I I. 
Effectivity. - This Act shall take effect upon its approval. 
Approved,