Philippine secretary of tourism Christina Frasco proposed the establishment of a special court to swiftly expedite cases where foreign tourists are involved.

Frasco first made the proposal to Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr at a recent sectoral meeting, then reiterated it at a hearing at the House of Representatives.

Currently, the Department of Tourism (DOT) is working with the Department of Justice (DOJ) to lay the foundations for 24-hour tourist courts for the immediate resolution of civil and criminal cases where foreign nationals are involved.

As of mid-August 2024, the Philippines registered a total of 3,860,730 international visitors, of which 92.05 percent or 3,553,720 are foreigners, while the remaining 7.95 percent or 307,010 are overseas Filipino workers coming home for visits.

The country’s top 10 source markets are South Korea, the United States of America, Japan, China, Australia, Taiwan, Canada, the United Kingdom, Singapore, and Malaysia. 

Better security for densely concentrated tourist spots

For now, the DOT is ramping up security in areas with a high concentration of tourists, essentially beefing up police presence.

The department has also trained over 8,000 police personnel under its Tourist Oriented Police for Community Order and Protection programme, along with 270 community guards and local intelligence personnel to amplify the security presence in high-traffic areas.

Frasco pointed out that, in her previous capacity as a local government official, there aren’t enough police to serve the actual population. 

She explained: “That’s why we are expanding our programme to include the training of community guards and intelligence networks.“