MANILA, 6 December 2023: The Philippines Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco visited Panglao earlier this week for the groundbreaking of the JW Marriott Panglao Island Resort and Residences in Bohol Province.
The secretary’s visit coincided with Bohol being declared the country’s first-ever UNESCO Global Geopark.
“On behalf of the Department of Tourism, I congratulate this beautiful island province of Bohol, JW Marriott, and Apple One on this milestone. The groundbreaking signals confidence in the Philippines and its continued resurgence in global tourism,” the tourism chief said in her address.
She stressed that the government’s vision is not just for the country to recover after the devastating effects of the pandemic but to transform and elevate the quality of tourism offerings for the Philippines and to push for investments to come to the country.
She cited the JW Marriott Resort and Residence under development in Bohol province as a signal “that the country is ready to take its place as Asia’s next tourism powerhouse.”
She also assured local stakeholders that the current administration will continue to strengthen the foundation for tourism by investing in infrastructure, connectivity, and digitalisation and introducing innovation to the country’s tourism portfolio.
Colliers reported earlier in November that AppleOne Group, the developer of Bohol’s newest hotel property, has signed a management with Marriott International for the JW Marriott Residences in Panglao Island, Bohol, which is located on a seven-hectare site with views of Maribojoc Bay.
Construction of the first five-star hotel development in Bohol should begin during the first quarter of 2023.
As a newbie to Bohol and the Philippines, I realize many western comforts are lacking. Building a hospital is a huge investment. Is it possible or practical to build it, then wait as need develops? Is it the desire of the country or province to become overrun with “tourism”?
My desire to live in the Philippines is based upon having a simple life. In the USA, the almighty dollar is God. Not so here. In the USA all of life, everything is based on earning and spending. All of a person’s time and energy in the pursuit of things – new cars with the most gadgetry, expensive homes, and more toys than can be named.
Westerners with their obese 300 pound asses are disappointed that a simple, treatable heart attack could spell imminent death here. Filipinos don’t care. They care far more about family, relationships, honoring God, and the real things in life. Building a hospital or anything else to guarantee more money is not seen as “valueable”.
So more westerners will not vacation here. Big deal. Those fancy Panglao hotels are owned by rich Chinese and westerners and the inherent greed of those owners is to line their own pockets, doing nothing for the filipino people than to increase the prices of everyday goods they need to survive.
So the government here is in no rush to be “the west”. If you need a functional first class hospital to provide necessary security to choose a vacation spot – the choose Thailand or a myriad of other spots for sickly diabetics.
Congratulations to the untiring efforts of our government in pushing tourism and for the trust and confidence of numerous businesses who are flocking to the country to build their businesses here. There will always be negative people (sore losers)who look for just about anything to throw at the govt even when something good is happening. Congratulations beautiful Panglao, Bohol!
When will the promised Bohol Doctors Hospital be built on Panglao? The Govt lady says they are gonna invest in infrastructure so what about the hospital? When is this govt gonna get it through their thick heads that resort areas need first class hospitals nearby for real development to proceed? When is a real hospital going to be built on Boracay, Siaragao Island, mainland Palawan, Puerto Galera, Batangas etc. Not a decent hospital in this country outside of Davao, Cebu, Manila and Angeles City. Does the govt expect to attract people with money who want to live in the resort locations without a hospital that is fully equipped to save somebody having a heart attack or stroke? Look at Thailand. Every resort location has a first class hospital within minutes. Look at their tourism numbers.
The City of Iloilo boosts itself as part of the next global and sustainable world-class community.
Soon it will beat boaracay because of accessibility..the airport is right next to the beach no need to ride boats and trikes.