DOT told to tighten accreditation regulations
THE Department of Tourism (DOT) was told to tighten up its regulations on accrediting tourism enterprises after a lawmaker complained about a filthy bathroom of a restaurant in Baguio City.
At last week’s hearing by the Senate Committee on Tourism to discuss the agency’s Legislative Agenda, Sen. Koko Pimentel informed officials of his experience at a restaurant in Baguio City “near Burnham Park,” which he said bore a seal of DOT-accreditation on its premises. “The restroom was where they also washed their dishes,” the lawmaker, a member of the committee, narrated in Filipino, “so how did they get that [DOT] seal?!”
He stressed, “What I want to happen is that you will be strict [in giving] your quality seal and it will attract the tourists. Between one establishment that has the seal and one that doesn’t have the seal, I will just go to the one with the seal. But the standards should be strict, and it should be difficult to get the seal.”
DOT Undersecretary for Tourism Regulation Coordination and Resource Generation (TRCRG) Arturo P. Boncato Jr., for his part, acknowledged that it was indeed the agency’s responsibility to monitor establishments which have been issued the seal, and run after the violators.
Under Republic Act 9353 (Tourism Act of 2009), restaurants are considered secondary tourism enterprises, whose accreditation
with the agency is “voluntary.”
Boncato assured that the agency’s standards “are anchored on global standards.” He cited as an example Boracay Island, where accredited hotels and resorts are now just down to 300 plus, from the over 500 that used to operate before the island was closed down in April 2018, “as they were not able to meet the standards.” He added that the agency is now working with the Department of the Interior and Local Government, to strictly implement the law so that local government units will not issue business permits without the accreditation of DOT.
Sen. Nancy Binay, who chairs the Committee on Tourism, also inquired on the developments regarding to the cruise tourism program of the DOT. She wanted to find out if cruise passengers, specifically, had an appropriate place to disembark.
DOT officials said right now, the cruise ships make do with the disembarkation area in Manila, which is admittedly, “far from ideal.”
There are currently private-sector and government-led plans to build cruise passenger terminals in Manila. A cruise port terminal, owned by businessman Enrique K. Razon, is slated to open beside the Solaire Resorts in Parañaque, while the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority, is also building another cruise port terminal at the Cultural Center of the Philippines complex.
In 2018, some 230,000 cruise passengers arrived in the Philippines, from just 23,000 in 2013.
During the hearing, the DOT presented an overview of the TA 2009 and identified certain gaps and challenges in its implementation that the Senate could probably address through new legislation or amendments.
For one, DOT Undersecretary for Legal and Special Concerns Edwin R. Enrile said there is a need to update “tourism enterprises to cover innovations in tourism services, i.e., AirBnb, booking platforms, online tourist guides,” as well as others that may be identified by the DOT secretary.
The DOT also sought to move the foreign field offices from the TRCRG to the Tourism Development Planning Department, to enhance and further develop them.
There is also a need to enhance and optimize the assets of Nayong
Pilipino, which Enrile explained, is an attached agency of the DOT, but has no direct supervision over it. This could be addressed by appointing the DOT secretary to the board of the foundation that operates Nayong Pilipino.
The agency also believes there is a need to enhance its coordination with local government units in the development of tourist destinations by creating a “destination management program.” This way, Enrile said, there would be an increased coordination in the development of infrastructure in a certain tourist site under the jurisdiction of several LGUs.
The DOT also sought to expand the use of the Tourism Promotions Trust to fund the development and infrastructure programs identified by the secretary.
Last, the DOT is looking to have the DOT secretary participate in the boards of the Philippine Ports Authority, Maritime Industry Authority, Cebu Port Authority and the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority, as it enhances and further develops cruise tourism in the country.