DOT rewards 15 LGUS for top tourism projects
LOCAL government units (LGUS) in Nueva Vizcaya, Bohol, and Basilan were the top prizewinners of the inaugural Tourism Champions Challenge (TCC) of the Department of Tourism (DOT).
In an awarding ceremony attended by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. at the Philippine International Convention Center on Monday, P20 million each was granted to Ambaguio, Nueva Vizcaya to build its first local paragliding airport terminal; Tubigon, Bohol for the construction of infrastructure at the Enchanted Ilijan (volcanic) Plug; and Isabela City, Basilan for its Lampingan Jetty Port and Leisure Development Project.
A total of 15 LGUS were heralded TCC winners, whose projects were independently assessed by Pricewaterhouse Coopers from a total of 98 submissions from 98 LGUS. The Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (Tieza) provided P180 million in funds for the awards, and an additional P5 million each for the TCC winners, who come from Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.
Indispensable, active partners
IN his speech, Marcos Jr. congratulated and thanked the TCC winners. “It is… a reaffirmation of my belief that local governments are our indispensable and active partners in national development.”
He guaranteed national government support “[to] match your industry, equal your dedication, and complement your work. [We] will build more infrastructure, implement tourism-friendly policies, and arouse interest from global audiences.”
In “crowdsourcing” ideas to bring in tourists, Marcos Jr. noted this was how tourism should be developed— “not relying on trickle-down, but built from the ground up.”
Despite the arrival of 5.5 million foreign tourists last year, the Chief Executive enjoined stakeholders to “work harder to make our country stand out amidst a very competitive market,” by building better and more tourism facilities and infrastructure, “step up our marketing drive, and rev up training. We have to open up more tourism areas so we can have a diversified and a dynamic portfolio that can drive up interest before a wider clientele.”
Other winners
MARCOS Jr. noted that what attracts tourists to the country “are certainly the beautiful sites, certainly the fun activities, certainly the great facilities, but the most important part of it is the Filipino, the heart of the Filipino, that we show the love of the Filipino, that we show even strangers who we have never met before, and will no longer meet after they have come here …. So let us highlight not only the beauty of the Philippines, not only the physical wonderment that they will find when they come here, but that warmth, that affection, that love that Filipinos always bring to their relationships.”
Other TCC winners were: (Second place, P15-million prize) Sablayan, Occidental Mindoro’s Mangrove Forest Park Development, Badian’s Toong Spring Nature Park in Cebu, Davao City’s Cultural Peace Hub for Indigenous and Bangsa Communities; (Third place, P10 million) Bolinao’s Silaki Island Community-based Tourism Project in Pangasinan, Silago’s Ridge to Reef Ecoexperience Project in Southern Leyte, Samal Island’s Mangrove Boardwalk Project in Davao del Norte; (Fourth place, P8 million) San Jose Eco-tourism Park in Romblon, Victorias City’s Gawahon Ecopark in Negros Occidental, Tagum City’s Enriched Heritage-tourism Circuit in Davao del Norte; and (Fifth place, P7 million) Socorro’s Naujan Lake Wetland Center in Oriental Mindoro, Panay’s Coastal Resource Experience in Capiz, and San Agustin’s Construction of a Tourist Catwalk in mangrove areas in Surigao del Sur.
For her part, Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco said, “As we gathered to recognize and honor and award our top 15 local government units, we are not just awarding projects but celebrating the spirit of innovation, collaboration and community that drives our tourism sector forward. Let us continue to support and inspire each other as we work together towards making the Philippines a tourism powerhouse. And also and most importantly, a beacon for sustainable and inclusive tourism development.”