The Lion of the Sea

Summer is here and tourists, both foreign and local, are flocking to our beaches.

If 2005 appears to be a boom year for Philippine tourism, there must be three important reasons behind it. First, Tourism Secretary Joseph Ace Durano’s marketing acumen and ability to rally the private sector behind his vision for the country’s tourism industry. Second, the slow pace of rehabilitation in the other Asian tourist destinations wrecked by the December tsunami. And third, the assurances from the Philippine Navy that the country’s beaches are safe.

Secretary Durano is a true-blue Cebuano and therefore knows the tourism business like the back of his hands. Cebu has several of the country’s world-renowned tourist destinations, among them, the famed Badian Island on the province’s southern tip, and Bantayan Island on the opposite end. In addition to the island destinations, his province is dotted with beach resorts that are the envy of the rest of Asia.

He knows that an upsurge in tourist arrivals would translate into an economic boom in the Philippine countryside. This is why he hopes to top the record 2.2 million foreign tourist arrivals in 2004 with a 16 percent increase this year.

The bold projection is undaunted by the stumbling blocks. Secretary Durano is aware that the country inked the 2004 record number of foreign tourist arrivals despite travel advisories by some countries discouraging their nationals from visiting the country. He knows that the charm of our beaches and the warmth of our people are more than enough to offset the fear factor.

There is, however, another ace up the Secretary’s sleeves, pardon the pun. That other ace is the Lion of the Sea, Philippine Navy Flag-Officer-In-Command Vice Admiral Ernesto de Leon.

Vice Admiral De Leon is a member of the famous Philippine Military Class of 1972, the same class which produced the current Armed Forces Chief of Staff and the Philippine National Police Chief.

There are two reasons why he has been branded the Lion of the Sea. One has to do with the public’s vivid memory of his exploits in the anti-terrorist war. Everyone remembers that the soft-spoken unassuming gentleman from Batangas was the soldier who neutralized the infamous Abu Sabaya.

The other reason for his monicker is the Navy’s popular Operation: Stingray. This is a combination of precise naval intelligence and quick combat response organized like an invisible dragnet around the archipelago. Observers say Stingray is a reflection of the Admiral’s lion persona: a keen sense of smell and silent cat-like combat quickness that guarantees that the enemy will end up shredded into pieces.

Stingray is among the many reasons why Secretary Durano stands a good chance of meeting his target tourist arrivals. Local and foreign beach buffs, surfers, divers and island hoppers feel secure not only because Admiral De Leon has already neutralized Abu Sabaya but also because the invisible Stingray dragnet provides an assurance that they will not be bothered in their summer water revelry by lawless elements.

Bertie Lim, stalwart of the Palawan tourism industry, was quick to point out the value of Stingray. The island paradise - home to El Nido, Club Noah Isabelle, Honda Bay, and Amanpulo – is enjoying an unprecedented boom, thanks to the atmosphere of security that the Navy has provided.

Military observers and business sector kibitzers, however, say that the Navy Chief is not merely a lion on the prowl. More than that, it appears he has impressed a lot of people with his economic insights, particularly on the role of the military in national development.

De Leon watchers say if this soldier has one thing that he is passionate about, it is the economic dimension of the military mission. National security is not merely the elimination of the enemy but the expansion of opportunities to create a sense of national well-being, the Navy chief often says.

Vice Admiral De Leon watches over the country’s waters like a King Lion would watch over his lair. One reason is internal security. But apparently, the more important reason is that the Navy Chief views the sea as an economic asset, the last frontier for the country’s economic take-off.

He wants the people to see the Navy as an investment rather than as a taxpayer’s burden. Hindi kami butas na bulsa, he would say in his wise but folksy way. What the Vice Admiral perhaps means is that the money that we put in into the Navy’s upkeep is actually not an expense but an investment that generates returns.

World-renowned geologist Ed Mañalac, president of the Philippine National Oil Company, has acknowledged this investment value. Ed says the Navy’s support is helping perk up renewed interest in petroleum exploration in Philippine waters. The Navy is not our security guard; it is our business partner in this sense, Ed points out.

We share the business community’s growing appreciation of the important role that the Navy plays in the country’s bid for an economic take-off. Vice Admiral De Leon has definitely brought the often forgotten and ignored Navy branch of service into new heights.

The feat has not escaped Defense Secretary Nonong Cruz’s attention. Aguinaldo insiders overheard the defense chief as saying, "if Palawan tourism is growing significantly, the Navy must really be doing something right?"

We share the view. With the Lion of the Sea on the prowl, business will be good.

Doing It Right

Though the 2005 Special 301 report issued by United States Trade Representative (USTR) reported the retention of the Philippines in the priority watch list on the matter of intellectual property rights (IPR), there are some interesting and enlightening comments that may seem to have failed to catch the attention of many.

The Special 301 annual review of the USTR examines in detail the adequacy and effectiveness of IPR protection in 90 countries around the world. And although the Philippines will remain on the Priority Watch List in 2005, the country was singled out by the USTR to have progressed in the enforcement of its optical media law by having taken "important steps toward implementing much-needed controls on optical media production in order to address and prevent future pirate activity."

It goes on to explain that "the Philippines made significant progress in 2004 which the US copyright industry noted could lead, if continued, to the elimination of optical media piracy in the Philippines." The US copyright industry recognizes that the Philippines has made significant progress in 2004 including the