New DoT chief facing tough challenges
As her “listening tours” in Luzon unfolded, Tourism Secretary Cristina Garcia Frasco personally got a glimpse of the challenges she would be facing in redeeming the glory of the tourism industry, among them accessibility of landlocked tourism destinations, lack of flights, difficulties in the hiring of regional personnel and other administrative barriers.
These problems cropped up during her meetings with the heads of the Department of Tourism (DoT) offices in the Cordillera Administrative Region, Region 1 (Ilocos Region), Region 2 (Cagayan Valley), Region 3 (Central Luzon), Region 4A (CALABARZON), Region 4B (MIMAROPA), and Region 5 (Bicol Region).
Frasco acknowledged the difficulties but assured her subalterns she will provide guidance to the offices.
“Certainly, these are matters that we note with serious consideration, with the intention to extend better assistance from the central office to your regional offices recognizing that it’s simply impossible for us to succeed as a department, without the help, the input, and the success of our individual regions. And that is very important to me, recognizing that the success of each region will also spell the success of our country in general,” Frasco assured the regional directors.
Earlier, the DoT chief admitted that the country’s airports are not meeting global standards, putting the country at par with direct competitors in the ASEAN member nations
She acknowledged the need to revisit the capacity of the country’s airports, as that will greatly determine whether there would be an addition of direct flights to our tourist destinations.
Hand of collaboration
Meanwhile, Frasco conveyed her intention to extend a hand of collaboration to all regions across the country in order to be able to fully exercise the mandate of the DoT, whose efforts need not only be concentrated in areas near the Central Office but most importantly, in the farthest areas, to allow the expansion of economic and livelihood opportunities for local government units. These, she said are the clear marching orders of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. — “to let our fellow Filipinos feel the benefits of countryside development.”
“Certainly, these are matters that we note with serious consideration, with the intention to extend better assistance from the central office to your regional offices recognizing that it’s simply impossible for us to succeed as a Department, without the help, the input, and the success of our individual regions. And that is very important to me, recognizing that the success of each region will also spell the success of our country in general,” Frasco said.
In a separate event, the DoT chief met with representatives of the following associations and organizations: Subic-Clark Alliance for Development; Luzon International Premier Airport Development Corporation; Association of Tourism Officers of the Philippines; Clark Development Corporation; Pampanga Agents Travel Society; Hotels and Restaurants Association in Pampanga; Central Luzon Farm Tourism Association; Accredited Guides Association of Pampanga; and Pampanga Bike Adventure Tour.
The DoT chief has given her directive to the Regional Offices to coordinate with the associations, and to ensure that measures and appropriate timelines will be devised to provide the needed support of the stakeholders.
Among the immediate directives of Frasco include the easier renewal process for DoT accreditation.
Knowing firsthand the difficulties of tourism stakeholders to submit the documentary requirements for the renewal of DoT accreditation amid the pandemic, she instructed the Regional Offices to waive the immediate submission of certain documentary requirements, if they sign a Sworn Statement of Undertaking that they agree to submit the lacking documents later; and to shoulder the cost of the notarization of this undertaking.