A CASE of the right hand not knowing what the left hand is doing?
That seems to be the reason behind the dropping of the tourism master plan for the West Philippine Sea (WPS), a project instigated by the House of Representatives under the 19th Congress, with funds from the General Appropriations Act for 2024 allocated to the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (Tieza).
In the recent 2026 budget presentation of the Department of Tourism (DOT) and its attached agencies and government firms, Tieza Chief Operating Officer Dr. Mark T. Lapid told Finance Committee chair Senator Sherwin Gatchalian that his office is ‘in the process of terminating the master plan because we didn’t get any clearance from the DND (Department of National Defense).to go to the islands.’
He added, only P7 million has been spent for the project’s ‘mobilization,’ while the rest of the funds are still with the Department of Budget and Management (DBM). The P99.2-million project for a detailed engineering study of the WPS and neighboring islands was awarded in December to WTA Architecture and Design Studio, which was the lone bidder.
Earlier, Rep. Joey Sarte Salceda (Albay, 2nd District) explained to the BusinessMirror: ‘The item is part of [the] 2024 budget’s assertive stance towards protecting our territorial integrity, including a realignment of confidential funds towards WPS defense.. Nothing says domestic territory like tourism. And indeed, this part of the sea is one of the most beautiful and biodiverse places in the world.’
2026 travel taxes seen at P7.26B
Another project which Tieza terminated, said Lapid, was the P1.25-billion Mayon Volcano Heritage Aesthetic Lighting project, another congressional initiative. Phase one of the project was allocated P500 million under GAA 2024, and phase two, at P750 million, under GAA 2025. ‘Not a single centavo has been spent on this,’ he stressed, except for P5-million Tieza spent from its own funds for a feasibility study.
‘Iilawan natin ang Mayon Volcano? ‘Di ba sumasabog ‘yon?’ asked Gatchalian in disbelief.
To which, Lapid explained that it was ‘technically viable’ to light up the volcano at a distance from the lava flows, as proposed in the project, but it was terminated because it was ‘socially [unacceptable].’ Objections were raised by stakeholders, the local government unit, and the Department of Environment and National Resources during public hearings overseen by Tieza. ‘So there’s no purpose in implementing the project,’ said the Tieza chief.
The government corporation has no proposed budget for 2026 as its operations are mainly financed by collections of travel taxes. For 2026, it projects travel taxes to reach P7.26 billion, of which it will retain 50 percent for Tieza’s operations. Lapid said earlier they will likely exceed its P6.86-billion target this year.
Bicol, Tacloban stadiums hang
Of its P620-million subsidy for 2024, the construction of a Tubbataha Ranger Station, which cost P20 million is ‘being reviewed’ as it involves the transfer of funds to the province of Palawan, he said. The project is supposed to be executed by the local government unit in partnership with conservators of the popular dive spot.
Gatchalian was looking into the low disbursement rate of Tieza projects funded by GAA subsidies. ‘It’s already end of the year and none of these projects in 2024 and 2025 materialized,’ said the lawmaker.
For instance, Tieza was also allocated a P1.55-billion subsidy under GAA 2025 to fund lawmakers’ other pet projects such as the the Construction of a Baywalk in the Cruise Port project in Puerto Galera (P10 million), Construction of the Bicol International Sports Stadium-Phase 1 (P390 million); and the Construction of the Tacloban International Sports Stadium-Phase 1 (P395 million) projects.
While plans are ongoing for the baywalk project, Lapid said Tieza ‘has yet to receive any information and scope for both projects.so the amounts are still with the DBM.’ No coordination has been made by the projects’ proponents.