Boost to tourism
BUSINESES engaged in providing the Filipino hospitality in Davao City have continued to equip their employees with skills and expertise considered essential in their mission to satisfy clients.
This initiative obviously puts tourism players on a higher level by providing global standards in terms of extending quality products and services in the city’s growing and thriving hospitality industry touted as a major economic driver in Davao Region.
For one, the Waterfront Insular Hotel has been actively involved in this as it continues to strengthen service quality by enhancing the competitive edge of their human resources and keeping abreast of the industry trends.
Two of the hotel’s top employees, Jennifer Romero and Cheerbie Bantay, have recently received international certifications from the leader in hospitality education and training, the American Hotel and Lodging Educational Institute or AHLEI after they have successfully completed and passed the certification examinations. This also signifies their compliance with global standards as Certified Hospitality Sales Professional (CHSP) and Certified Hospitality Department Trainer (CHDT).
Waterfront Insular Hotel Davao manager Bryan Yves Lasala is proud of this achievement as the two hotel professionals joined 13 others from Waterfront Hotels and Casinos nationwide. The Gatchalian-controlled chain operates modern hotels and casinos in Davao, Cebu and Manila.
“Peers who are welltrained with the highest level of standards are essential in providing utmost Filipino hospitalA ity towards total guest satisfaction which is the core vision of the Waterfront group,” Lasala has noted.
AHLEI offers extensive trainings and certifications to hoteliers to enhance their learning experience in the hospitality industry. The institute certifies hospitality professionals in all facets through year-round examinations and is globally recognized with about 15,000 member associations worldwide.
***
One Meralco Foundation backs Peace Games
Celebrity football player James Younghusband, team captain of the FC Meralco Manila (formerly Meralco Sparks) football club, will be gracing the opening ceremonies of the 2017 Mindanao Peace Games Football Invitational in Davao City today.
Younghusband and the team’s coach Aries Caslib are representing One Meralco Foundation (OMF) along with Jeffrey O. Tarayao, the foundation’s president and Meralco’s chief CSR officer. OMF is the corporate foundation of the Manila Electric Company, a major sponsor of the five-day youth development and sports event organized by the Ateneo de Davao University and Mindanao Peace Games.
Six teams representing each of the six regions of Mindanao will be competing in a series of nine aside games from May 22 to 26 at the Matina Campus of the Ateneo. These teams are Ateneo de Zamboanga (Region 9), Iligan Medical Center College (Region 10), Ateneo de Davao (Region 11), Surallah FC (Region 12), Fr. Saturnino Urios University (Region 13) and Maguindanao United FC (ARMM).
The tournament is open to boys age 15 years old and younger, and is expected to draw 120 athletes and coaches.
Aside from football, Mindanao Peace Games will also hold daily forums on various topics such as leadership skill development, advocating through sports, values formation, among others.
“The goal of the Mindanao Peace Games is to encourage holistic development in our young athletes so they mature not only as good football players but also as responsible, disciplined and peace-loving Filipinos,” said Ayo, Ateneo’s university athletics director and convenor of the Games.
On the first day of the event, Younghusband will share his inspiration for pursuing a career in football. He will also entertain questions from the participating young athletes in a Q&A session.
Meanwhile, Caslib will also briefly talk about his experience being at the helm of a national football league team and share some best practices with the coaches of the competing teams.
Apart from the Mindanao Peace Games, One Meralco Foundation and the Meralco Manila football team also support the PMC Football for Peace program of the Philippine Marine Corps. It advocates for long-term peace especially in conflict areas in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (Armm) by engaging the youth in these provinces through the sport of football.
“We believe that sports is an effective tool for shaping the character especially of young people. The skills, discipline and values that make a good athlete are usually the same things that could transform an individual into a productive and socially responsible citizen. By supporting this advocacy, we are helping prepare the youth for a more competitive yet very promising future,” Tarayao said.