This is the explosive revelation made at yesterday’s press briefing regarding the state of Philippine shipping industry in relation to the upcoming Sea-Ex boat show on Feb. 20 to 22, 2015 at the SMX convention center.
Amor Maclang, a tourism advocate and avid diver, said the country can be considered a paradise but the national government seems to be not realizing this when it comes to legislation.
“Look at our cabotage law, its obsolete and in many ways stupid,” Maclang said before various business reporters at the Hotel Intercontinental yesterday.
The diver-tourism advocate said the country cannot exude the best of its 7,107 islands because it doesn’t know how to utilize the coastlines that is the third longest in the world.
She said not so many people know that Boracay is not the most pristine beach in the Philippines but the island of Kalanggaman in Palompon, Leyte.
“The only cruise that reaches the island is German-owned, not Filipino-owned, that’s how miserable our state of shipping is,” she added.
A research by the Tribune found some superlative comments about the island.
“The pristine waters, the coconut trees, the blue sky — it was a great escape. The white sand was perfect even without slippers,” said Carlo Lorenzo, a reporter, in his instagram account.
Angelo Olondriz, chairman of HeadSails, Inc., the lead organizer of the three-day boat fair, said the Philippines’ very high shipping cost, particularly for vehicles, is one of the most depressing part for those who want to do business here.
“It’s cheaper to ship from Singapore to Davao than to Manila to Davao,” he said.
Olondriz said the country should realize that Asia is the next destination of super yachts or yachts that have length of 100 feet and longer.
“In the US, there is a $7-billion support released by government each year. If we imagine that Asia is the next hub of yachts like this, we should work double time to build such yachts,” he said.
The businessman said he decided to hold the boat show to showcase the true potentials of Filipinos when it comes to boats. During the event, those in the shipping and yachting businesses will converge to prove to the world that the Philippines’ greatest fortune is the ocean.
“The Philippines is the next Mediterranean of Asia,” he said.
Felino Palafox, an expert urban planner, said he is deeply saddened that many foreign nationals are unaware about the Philippines.
“There are many tourists I have spoken to but very few of them have been to the Philippines and worse some even don’t know that our country exists,” the architect said.
“Our country is eight times the size of Hong Kong, three times the size of Korea (south) but the revenues in shipping-related ventures are mediocre compared to these nations,” he said.
Martial Beck, chairman of the European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines, said the country must work double time in improving the state of the country’s shipping and maritime industry because the resources that should have been going to the national coffers are not materializing.
Source: The Daily Tribunal
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