PHILIPPINES. Duty Free Philippines Corporation (DFPC) has decided to indefinitely postpone the planned closure of its provincial stores in Bacolod, Davao, Iloilo, Clark and Kalibo airports. The decision was confirmed in a statement (see below) obtained by The Moodie Davitt Report.
The state-owned corporation had been forced to plan the closures in light of the government’s Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) measures introduced in March, which meant no tourist nor general passenger traffic.
However, with the government’s shift to a General Community Quarantine (GCQ) status – President Duterte downgraded the ECQ status of Metro Manila and other areas in Luzon to GCQ from 1 June – which eased most travel restrictions and reopened travel pathways, DFPC saw an opportunity and a ‘small window of hope’ for improvement.
After a two-week assessment, management announced on 15 June that it would postpone any closures.
