The Mindanao Examiner Regional Newspaper
Cebu guv mulls resuming whalewatching tourism in Oslob
CEBU CITY – To stir the ecotourism economy in the whale shark watching town of Oslob, Governor Gwendolyn Garcia said she will issue an executive order outlining protocols in allowing certain tourism activities, but subject to health and safety standards.
Garcia said she met with whale shark watching operators and local officials in Barangay Tan-awan in Oslob to gather inputs for her plan to open up tourist attractions in the southern corridor and churn back the economy in towns that are dependent on tourism.
She highlighted the heavy losses of the local governments because of the stoppage of their operations, saying Oslob lost P100 million and Barangay Tanawan also lost about P30 million in shares in tourism revenue because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Garcia said her attempts to appeal to the Inter-agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) to allow tourism-related businesses to open were denied twice due to the rising Covid-19 cases in Cebu City.
“Until six Cabinet secretaries headed by Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu came to Cebu to oversee the Covid-19 response. During the meeting, I thanked them for coming over and see for themselves the real situation and that I have no jurisdiction over Cebu City,” she said.
When IATF-EID placed Cebu province (excluding the city of Talisay and the municipalities of Minganilla and Consolacion), under MGCQ in June, Garcia issued Executive Order (EO) No. 20 which laid down protocols to be observed under the downgraded quarantine classification.
Garcia said that EO No. 20 identified tourism activities to be allowed such as diving, island-hopping, canyoneering, whale watching, snorkeling and para-sailing. Those activities, she said, are “subject to mandatory health standards such as physical distancing”.
Shalimar Tamano, Department of Tourism (Dot)-central
Visayas regional director, who joined the dialogue, said they will continue to gather feedback from the tourism stakeholders on how they can open up under the new normal. Tamano said they have been visiting tourism towns and cities in the province so that they can continuously consult players in the sector.
He also thanked Garcia for helping tourism-dependent towns in the southern corridor of Cebu including Oslob, Badian and Alegria, to resume operations with observance of certain protocols to prevent virus contagion.
Assistant Secretary Asteria Caberte, Department of Trade and Industry regional director, informed tourism players present during the dialogue about the agency’s assistance to village-based micro and small entrepreneurs under the Negosyo Serbisyo sa Barangay program. She said the DTI, which is now helping entrepreneurs affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, will partner with the provincial government in providing assistance to business
PRESIDENT DUTERTE placed Cebu City under Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine or MECQ; and the cities of Lapu-lapu and Mandaue and the towns of Talisay, Minglanilla, and Consolacion under General Community Quarantine or GCQ until end of the month. He said the National Capital Zambales, Angeles City; Region Duterte said remains under Region, meanwhile, continues IV-A – Batangas, Quezon, Lucena MGCQ. to remain under GCQ same City; Region IV-B – Oriental Mindoro, In a bid to intensify as Laguna, Cavite, and Rizal; Occidental Mindoro, Puerto Covid-19 response measures, Ormoc City, Southern Leyte, Princesa City; Region V – Albay, the government also designated Zamboanga City, Butuan City, Masbate, Camarines Norte, Camarines four so-called anti-covid czars Agusan del Norte, Basilan. Sur, Catanduanes, Sorsogon, to lead each of the components
The President placed the following Naga City; Region VI – Iloilo, of the government’s health areas under MGCQ with Negros Occidental, Capiz, Antique, strategy - testing, tracing, isolation, zoning containment strategy and Aklan, Guimaras, Iloilo City, and treatment. The four strict local action: CAR – Benguet, Bacolod City; Region VII – Negros are Secretary Vivencio Dizon as Baguio City; Region I – Ilocos Oriental, Bohol, Cebu Province; Chief Testing Czar; Baguio City Sur, Pangasinan, Ilocos Norte, Region VIII – Western Samar, Mayor Benjamin Magalong as La Union, Dagupan City; Region Leyte, Biliran, Tacloban City; Region Chief Tracing Czar; Public Works II – Cagayan, Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya; IX – Zamboanga del Sur, and Highways Secretary Mark Region III – Bataan, Nueva Zamboanga Sibugay, Zamboanga Villar as Chief Isolation Czar, Ecija, Pampanga, Bulacan, Tarlac, del Norte; Region X – Misamis and Health Undersecretary Leopoldo Occidental, Bukidnon, Lanao del Vega as Chief Treatment Norte, Cagayan de Oro City, Iligan Czar. All will be directly under City; Region XI – Davao Oriental, the National Task Force against Davao del Norte, Davao del Sur, Covid-19 led by Chief (policy) Davao de Oro, Davao City; Region Implementer Secretary Carlito XII – Sultan Kudarat, Cotabato, Galvez Jr.
South Cotabato, General Santos Villar came out publicly City; and BARMM – Lanao del recently to say that he was Sur, Maguindanao. tested positive for Covid-19.
The rest of the country, (Cebu Examiner) men affected by the health crisis. (John Rey Saavedra)