Tourism workers would rather go back to work than receive financial aid –Puyat

Those working in the tourism industry would rather go back to work than receive financial assistance, Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said on Saturday.

“Alam mo ba sa turismo, mas gusto nila mag-restart ang tourism kaysa ayuda. Mas gusto nilang nagtatrabaho sila,” Puyat said in a Dobol B sa News TV interview.

(In the tourism industry, workers would rather tourism reopen than them receiving financial aid. They prefer to work.)

According to Puyat, the tourism industry was supposed to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic during this dry season, but was delayed amid the surge in cases and the emergence of new COVID-19 variants, particularly in the National Capital Regional (NCR) Plus bubble where the bulk of tourists usually come from.

The country's tourist destinations could accept tourists from modified general community quarantine (MGCQ) areas, but not from the NCR Plus bubble.

“Kaya masakit talaga kasi ang tagal tagal na. One year na ito, dito na babawi, Holy Week tapos summer, dito nagta-travel 'yung mga tao. Ganu'n talaga. Buntong hininga. Masakit talaga, masakit,” Puyat said.

(This really hurts because it's been a long time. This has been going on for a year. The the industry was supposed to recover during the Holy Week and summer when people usually travel. I just sighed. It really hurts.)

Puyat said P3.1 billion has been allotted for tourism workers under the Bayanihan to Recover as One Act (Bayanihan 2).

The Department of Labor and Employment this week approved the application of close to 400,000 tourism sector workers for a one-time P5,000 cash aid under its COVID-19 Adjustment Measures Program. -Jamil Santos/MDM, GMA News