UK Ambassador vows to promote Dumaguete
DUMAGUETE CITY — A high-ranking British diplomat on Monday vowed to promote this city as a target destination for tourists.
Daniel Robert Pruce, Ambassador of the United Kingdom to the Philippines, said this to Mayor Felipe Antonio Remollo in a courtesy call. Remollo then relayed their discussions in an interview with media.
"He sees Dumaguete's potential as a tourist spot. I even mentioned to him that we have been featured as a top retirement place worldwide," Remollo said.
During the city government's welcome ceremony for him, Pruce shared that his recent visit to Dumaguete is not his first; he previously visited Negros Oriental as a tourist himself.
"I got to experience swimming with the sea turtles in Apo Island," Pruce said, earning positive and amused reactions from the audience.
Pruce also said that he enjoyed the warm welcome Dumagueteños gave him upon his arrival, adding he is looking forward to visiting this city again in the future.
At present, there are 17,000 British citizens in the Philippines, Pruce added.
Meanwhile, Remollo told reporters that Pruce also vowed to him to double, or even triple, the number of prospective Filipinos to go the UK to study. This, however, will depend on the number of scholarships available from the British private sector.
Pruce is the fifth foreign diplomat to visit this city since Remollo took office. This city has also been previously visited by the ambassadors of Singapore, Korea, Iran, and officials from the United States Embassy in Manila.
Dumaguete is one of the many key cities nationwide Pruce visited in line with the celebration of the Great Britain Festival 2018. Organized by the British Embassy Manila, the program aims to reinforce the strong diplomatic ties between the UK and the Philippines.