MEDIA RELEASE

December 2010

Contact: EVELYN A. MACAYAYONG

Office of Tourism Information
525-1805

CONFIRMATION HEARING OF TOURISM SECRETARY TO BE

CONTINUED

The Commission on Appointments (CA) deferred the

confirmation of the appointment of Tourism Secretary Alberto A. Lim
due to lack of time.

“It is unfortunate that the time allotted for his hearing was too
short. Some members of the CA Committee on Tourism and
Economic Development were not able to ask questions. The
continuation of the hearing will be held on December 14.”
Committee Chairman Rep. Rex Gatchalian, said.

Lim has been involved in the tourism industry since 1980,

starting with overseeing management of STAATS Travel. In 1991, he
became involved in the development of Amanpulo Resort in
Pamalican Island in Cuyo, Palawan. He was later appointed as
president of Ten Knots Development Corporation, the owner and
operator of the El Nido Resorts, also in Palawan.

“As a tourism player, I shared the frustration of many others in

the industry about its slow growth. Tourism in the Philippines was
promoted by national policy in the 1970s. We were one of the first
ASEAN countries to achieve 1 million foreign visitors in 1980. It took
us 27 years to reach the 3 million mark. Meanwhile, our ASEAN
neighbors have far surpassed us,” Lim said.

Senator Vicente Sotto III, Vice-Chairman of the Committee on

Tourism and Economic Development, said that Secretary Lim
“showed a firm grasp of the tourism industry. We are looking
forward to the next hearing so that the other members get a chance
to ask their questions.”

Major associations, such as National Association of Independent

Travel Agencies (NAITAS – the organization founded by Bobby
Joseph), Philippine Association of Convention/Exhibition Organizers
and Suppliers (PACEOS), the Philippine IATA Agents Travel
Association, and other key players of the tourism private sector from
Manila, Bohol, and Cebu attended the hearing to show their support
of Lim. “Secretary Lim is the right man for the job. We really hope
that the CA will approve his appointment,” a member of the private
sector said.

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