Plan to permanently close Duty Free store in Iloilo called off

Duty Free Philippines Corp. (DFPC), a state-owned attached agency of the Department of Tourism (DOT-6), will not close its store in the province of Iloilo.

In a statement, DFPC announced the cancellation of its plan to permanently close its store at the Iloilo International Airport in Cabatuan town.

“With the shift to GCQ (general community quarantine) which eased most travel restrictions and reopened air travel, the DFPC Management saw an opportunity and a ‘small window of hope’ for improvement,” it said.

DFPC also initially planned to shut down its stores in Bacolod City, Kalibo in Aklan, Davao City and Clark in Pampanga due its “already precarious financial condition” brought by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) crisis.

“After two weeks of situational assessment, (the) management, thru its Memorandum dated June 15 2020, decided to indefinitely postpone the permanent closure of [the provincial] outlets trusting that normalcy will be regained sooner,” it said.

DFPC “runs a chain of retail stores selling tax-free goods at international airports in the country. These stores cater to people entering and leaving the Philippines.”IMT