MINDANAO DAILY TRUTH | JUSTICE | PROGRESS
Volume XII, No. 088
www.mindanaodailynews.com
Saturday, December 17, 2022
P15.00
Piñol on journo’s cyber libel conviction: ‘a vital lesson on responsible journalism’ C
By BONG S. SARMIENTO
OTABATO CITY (MindaNews ) – Former agriculture secretary Emmanuel “Manny” Piñol lauded Wednesday the conviction of Baguio City-based journalist Frank Cimatu in a cyber libel case he filed against the latter, saying “it is not just a legal victory and vindication for me but a very important lesson on responsible and accountable journalism.” “Press freedom is not absolute,” Piñol, a former three-term governor of North Cotabato, said in a statement posted on his Facebook page. “The purveyors of fake news who slander and shame people to the point of dishonoring them and destroying their lives must not be allowed to seek refuge behind a mantle called Press Freedom when called to account for the transgression they have committed,” he added.
In 2017, Cimatu posted on Facebook that Piñol allegedly amassed P21 million in a period of six months following the bird flu outbreak in Central Luzon. “Agri Sec got rich by 21 M in 6 months. Bird Flu pa more,” posted Cimatu, an editor at Baguio Chronicle and a stringer of Rappler. According to Piñol, Cimatu’s post was “not only malicious but also outright erroneous.” Piñol, who ran but lost
See LESSON, page 10
Former agriculture secretary Emmanuel Piñol. MindaNews file photo by GG BUENO
Tourism receipts balloon to P130.6-B
Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco (PNA photo by Joey Razon) MANILA – The country's tourist receipts have reached PHP130 billion while arrivals climbed to more than 2.39 million, the Department of Tourism (DOT) reported Thursday. Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco said the easing of travel restrictions and health protocols had contributed to the high tourism revenues amounting to USD2.34 billion or PHP130.59 billion as
of October 31. Foreign travelers, meanwhile, reached 2,397,919 as of Dec. 15, 2022, the top visitors of whom are from the United States with 447,278, followed by South Korea with 374,097, Australia with 118,228, Canada with 109,041, and the United Kingdom with 90,196. "The projections of the Department of Tourism were that we would have arrivals
pegged at 1.7 million only by the end of this year. Because of the changes that have been instituted, as well as the direction of our president to prioritize tourism, we've seen that we now have visitor arrivals of close to 2.4 million, far exceeding projection," Frasco told reporters in an interview. The figures are still far from pre-pandemic levels but the DOT has high hopes the
country’s destinations would drive inbound travel soon. "Our goal is no longer to go back to pre-pandemic levels as far as international arrivals, but really to exceed it simply because of the quality of our destinations in the Philippines that far exceed many across the globe, and also because of the distinct warmth and hospitality of the Filipino people that is unique all over the world," Frasco said. For 2023, the DOT targets to reach at least three million to four million tourist arrivals. "Of our international arrivals, a little over 75 percent are foreign arrivals. This means that the tourism industry, in terms of international arrivals, is well on its way. Our goal now is to further that growth by inviting our fellow Filipinos to help us in the task of increasing these tourist arrivals, having in mind the necessity for sustainable tourism in our destinations, which we're doing closely with our local
governments," she said. Through the newly launched Bisita Be My Guest campaign, the DOT aims to reintroduce the Philippines as a premiere tourist destination. “Now as travel restrictions have eased, we look for-
ward to inviting our foreign friends and guests to visit our country and to offer a wide range of culturally rich experiences along with all types of outdoor recreational activities on water and on land,” Frasco said. (PNA)
CAGAYAN de Oro City Mayor Rolando "Klarex" Uy exchanges pleasantries with Barangay 21 Punong Barangay Gilda "Gigi" Go during the recent Christmas party of the Association of Barangay Councils. PB Go expresses her appreciation on Mayor Uy's assurance that the City's Chief Executive will give barangay chairmen a free hand on their respective projects. At left is ABC sectoral representative Yan Lam "Alam" Lim. CITY MAYOR'S OFFICE PHOTO