Philippine Tourism Authority

Established:	May 11, 1973
General Manager:	Mark T. Lapid
Website:	www.philtourism.gov.ph

The Philippine Tourism Authority (Filipino

Filipino language

This move has drawn much criticism from other regional groups.In 1987, a new constitution introduced many provisions for the language.Article XIV, Section 6, omits any mention of Tagalog as the basis for Filipino, and states that:...

: Pangasiwaang Pilipino sa Turismo), abbreviated as PTA, is an agency of the Philippine government

Politics of the Philippines

The Politics of the Philippines takes place in an organized framework of a presidential, representative, and democratic republic whereby the president is both the head of state and the head of government within a pluriform multi-party system...

 under the Department of Tourism

Department of Tourism (Philippines)

The Department of Tourism is the executive department of the Philippine government responsible for the regulation of the Philippine tourism industry and the promotion of the Philippines as a tourist destination....

 responsible for implementing policies and programs of the department pertaining to the development, promotion, and supervision of tourism projects in the Philippines

Philippines

The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...

.

History

The Philippine Tourism Authority was created on May 11, 1973 pursuant to Presidential Decree No. 189 as amended by Presidential Decree No. 564. As the implementing arm of the Department of Tourism

Department of Tourism (Philippines)

The Department of Tourism is the executive department of the Philippine government responsible for the regulation of the Philippine tourism industry and the promotion of the Philippines as a tourist destination....

, it implements policies and programs of the department pertaining to the development, promotion, and supervision of tourism projects in the Philippines.

The PTA is envisioned to ba a self sustaining government corporation, contributing to the national development objectives, serves as the epitome of public service as it pioneers sustainable, environmentally responsible, socially responsive and culturally catalytic tourism development.

Its functions are:

• to develop identified priority areas;
• to operate, maintain, and promote facilities in pioneering capacity;
• to provide technical and financial assistance to qualified tourism projects; and
• to generate revenues to fund national and corporate development undertakings.

On January 31, 2008, the Supreme Court of the Philippines

Supreme Court of the Philippines

The Supreme Court of the Philippines is the Philippines' highest judicial court, as well as the court of last resort. The court consists of 14 Associate Justices and 1 Chief Justice...

 ruled that Robert Dean Barbers is the legitimate head of the Philippine Tourism Authority (PTA). On May 2, 2008, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo

Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo

Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is a Filipino politician who served as the 14th President of the Philippines from 2001 to 2010, as the 12th Vice President of the Philippines from 1998 to 2001, and is currently a member of the House of Representatives representing the 2nd District of Pampanga...

 appointed Department of Tourism

Department of Tourism (Philippines)

The Department of Tourism is the executive department of the Philippine government responsible for the regulation of the Philippine tourism industry and the promotion of the Philippines as a tourist destination....

 Secretary Joseph Ace Durano

Joseph Ace Durano

Joseph Hotchkiss Durano , popularly known as Ace Durano, was one of the youngest to be elected representative to the 11th congress...

, general manager of the Philippine Tourism Authority (PTA), after Robert Dean Barbers' term expired. Durano, on June 3, 2008, announced that Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo

Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo

Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is a Filipino politician who served as the 14th President of the Philippines from 2001 to 2010, as the 12th Vice President of the Philippines from 1998 to 2001, and is currently a member of the House of Representatives representing the 2nd District of Pampanga...

 appointed defeated Pampanga

Pampanga

Pampanga is a province of the Philippines located in the Central Luzon region. Its capital is the City of San Fernando, Pampanga. Pampanga is bordered by the provinces of Bataan and Zambales to the west, Tarlac and Nueva Ecija to the north, and Bulacan to the southeast...

 former governor

Governor

A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...

 Mark Lapid (son of Senator Lito Lapid), acting general manager of the Philippine Tourism Authority. Lapid takes over from Tourism Secretary Joseph Ace Durano.