Survey: 3 in 4 Pinoys ready for revenge summer travel

AT least three in four Filipinos now feel safe to travel around the country, confident that domestic tourism will go back to pre-COVID level, the non-commissioned Pahayag Quarter 1 survey conducted by PUBLiCUS Asia Inc. showed.

Revenge travel, the survey showed, is in the offing during the summer season.

Across all demographics, Filipinos will be traveling this summer with 71 percent planning to travel between March to May 2023.

Of those who have travel plans, 69 percent are traveling locally while 24 percent have plans for both local and international travels.

Meanwhile, 76 percent agree to ease the border restrictions of the country to welcome visitors, with Visayas and NCR supporting it the most.

Only 11 percent disagree with easing border restriction, while 8 percent do not feel safe traveling around the country. Some 29 percent of the respondents do not plan to travel this summer.

The independent survey conducted by PUBLiCUS Asia Inc. between March 2 to 6, 2023 with a nationwide purposive sampling survey of 1,500 respondents randomly drawn from the market research panel of over 200,000 Filipinos maintained by the Singapore office of PureSpectrum, a US-based panel marketplace with multinational presence. The sample was restricted to registered Filipino voters. Samples provided by PureSpectrum are not affiliated with any bias or political party.

Legislator hopes senators use break to revisit Charter amendments report

By Maricel V. Cruz

A LEGISLATOR from the Bicol Region on Sunday expressed optimism that members of the Senate committee on constitutional amendments and revision of codes can find the time this congressional break to weigh this panel’s report on the need to amend the restrictive economic provisions of the Constitution.

"We are hoping our senators, especially the members of the Senate committee on constitutional amendments and revision of codes, can find time during our recess to consider the report of its chairman, Sen. Robin, endorsing constitutional reforms to do away with our 1987 Charter’s economic provisions that have restricted foreign ownership of, or participation in, Philippine businesses,” Camarines Sur Rep. Luis Raymund Villafuerte said.

Villafuerte, one of the principal authors of the proposed economic Charter Change in the House of Representatives, said views it as a "welcome development" that the committee chaired by Sen. Padilla had sought senator-members’ approval of its report endorsing Charter Change via the Constituent Assembly (Con-Ass) option— as against the House-approved resolution and bill advocating the Constitutional Convention (Con-Con) route. "It will keep the process of constitutional reform going in the 19th Congress," said Villafuerte, president of the National Unity Party.

“As what I have said before the congressional break, it’s beside the point whether the Senate would take a look at improving our Constitution by way of a Con-Con or Con-Ass. What is important at this stage is for the Senate to consider amendments to our flawed Constitution, so the 19th Congress can come up with a consolidated measure green-lighting a Charter makeover, preferably before 2023 is over.”

“The important thing is for us lawmakers to keep the ball rolling on constitutional reforms, in the hope that we can do away soon enough with the restrictive economic provisions of our 36-year-old Charter that have put off investors and impeded the inrush of FDIs [foreign direct investments],” said Villafuerte.