Manila, Philippines – The Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA) reaffirmed its commitment to tourism education by signing the Joint Administrative Order (JAO) on the Guidelines for the Utilization of the Higher Education Development Fund (HEDF) on March 24, 2025. The signing ceremony took place at Shell Philippines’ Centennial Courtyard at the National Museum of Natural History, with Assistant Chief Operating Officer (ACOO) Atty. Karen Sarinas-Baydo representing TIEZA Chief Operating Officer Dr. Mark Lapid.
The event was attended by key officials from the Department of Tourism (DOT), the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), and TIEZA. DOT Chief of Staff and Undersecretary for Tourism Regulation, Coordination, and Resource Generation, Shahlimar Hofer Tamano, delivered the welcome remarks.
Undersecretary Maria Rica Bueno (DOT) and CHED Executive Director Cinderella Filipina Benitez-Jaro presented an overview of the program, highlighting the HEDF’s priority initiatives. These include:
- Construction and improvement of facilities for tourism and hospitality-related courses
- Industry immersion programs and career development opportunities for teachers and students
- Research and development to enhance tourism-related curricula
- Support for start-up and incubation centers for tourism and hospitality
- Promotion of education tourism programs in collaboration with the DOT and higher education institutions (HEIs)
The JAO signing was led by DOT Secretary Christina Garcia-Frasco, CHED Chairperson J. Prospero E. De Vera III, and TIEZA ACOO Atty. Karen Sarinas-Baydo.
In the TIEZA keynote message delivered by ACOO Sarinas-Baydo, she emphasized that investing in tourism education is an investment in the future of the Filipino workforce. “By prioritizing tourism education, we are strengthening our nation’s most valuable asset—its people—and laying a strong foundation for sustainable growth in the Philippine tourism industry.” She further stressed that this strategic collaboration between tourism and education agencies would enhance the country’s capacity to develop world-class tourism programs.
The Joint Administrative Order aligns with TIEZA’s mandate as the principal collection agency for travel taxes and supports President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s directive on efficient governance and transparency in tax allocations. Future amendments to the Order will be reviewed periodically to ensure its provisions remain responsive to the evolving needs of tourism-related education and training programs.
Under the Tourism Act of 2009, travel tax collections are shared among key agencies to support national development initiatives, with 50 percent going to TIEZA, 40 percent going to CHED, and 10 percent to the National Commission for Culture and the Arts. TIEZA ACOO Sarinas-Baydo reported that TIEZA remitted a total of P17.3 billion to CHED from its 2015 to 2024 gross travel tax collection.