Overseas Filipinos beamed with pride and joy as they welcomed President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos during a special Filipino Community Gathering held in New Delhi, India.
Joining the President and the First Lady were Department of Tourism (DOT) Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco and other members of the Cabinet, in a show of unity and appreciation for Filipinos living and working in India.
The gathering formed part of the President’s inaugural State Visit to India, which coincides with the year-long celebration of the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations and people-to-people ties between the Philippines and India.
In her speech during the pre-program of the FilCom gathering, Frasco shared that under the Marcos Administration, the DOT aims to deepen its bilateral relations with India to boost the arrivals of Indian nationals into the Philippines.
“Nandito rin po tayo ngayon, nakikiisa sa ating Presidente. We’re one with the President in expressing our heartfelt gratitude to all of you, our beloved Overseas Filipinos, who by your work and by your love of our beloved country, the Philippines, continue to make all of us very, very proud,” the tourism chief said.
“We are building a Bagong Pilipinas where no one is left behind.”
“Under the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr., we are building a Bagong Pilipinas where no one is left behind, where every Filipino has the opportunity and their families have the opportunity to have a better quality of life through many aspects, including tourism,” the tourism head added.
Among other trailblazing and flagship projects, she emphasized the importance of “policy shifts and generational changes” in order for tourism to thrive.
“By the directive of our President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., iyong mga Indian nationals ay makakapunta na sa Pilipinas, visa-free.”
“By the directive of our President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., iyong mga Indian nationals ay makakapunta na sa Pilipinas, visa-free. And in a few short months, in October, you can now fly directly from Delhi to Manila. These are the measures by which the Marcos administration is expanding tourism and people-to-people ties for the Philippines,” she said.
Frasco also mentioned the DOT’s convergence programs with other national government agencies, the private sector, and local government units, including the establishment of Tourist Rest Areas, Balikbayani Sa Turismo Program, and the low-interest Turismo Asenso loans for tourism micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), among others.
“We can’t wait to welcome all of you back home to the Philippines. And to our friends from India who are here, we cannot wait to welcome you to the Philippines and to allow you to discover the very many reasons to Love The Philippines,” she concluded.
