THE Department of Tourism (DOT) Western Visayas and the Philippine National Police (PNP) in cooperation with the Provincial Tourism Office (PTO) is conducting a Tourism Awareness Seminar for Tourist-Oriented Police for Community Order and Protection (Topcop) on July 10 to 12, 2018.
Topcop is a priority activity as far as Negros tourism industry is concerned.
After the temporary closure of Boracay, local and foreign tourists may now consider other tourist destinations in the Philippines.
Negros Occidental is offering variety of attractions being the “Land of Sweet Surprises" - beaches, heritage structures, food, festivals, panoramic views, good facilities, and wonderful Negrosanons.
This is what I call Twin - Tourism Wonders in Negros!
We expect Director Helen Catalbas of DOT-Western Visayas to be here during the opening program.
She has done a lot for Negros.
She has not detached herself from us even “for the time being” that Negros Occidental belonged to a “one-island, one-region” status.
Lawyer Catalbas remained as our DOT regional director. Now, we are one hundred percent back under her care.
Varied subjects and important topics will be taken up for our tourist-oriented policemen.
The seminar will update them on the latest trend in the tourism industry.
They will be taught the basic and special things on how to deal with local and foreign tourists.
Every local government unit (LGU) will be expected to come up with a Tourist Police Unit (TPU) with elements who have undergone special training.
I was commissioned by the organizers through Tintin Mansinares, the provincial tourism officer, to handle four-hour general subject knowledge in Philippine History, Filipino People, and Culture and Traditions.
This could be a related work for my task as a consultant on Sociology of Silay City.
I would like to share what I know so that policemen would have a logical view of our history, a thorough knowledge of our inhabitants; a deeper appreciation of life and what has been enculturated to us.
The PNP top brass will be around also to give the seminarians in uniform the overview of the role and mission of the tourist policemen.
They will be the front liners in publicity, marketing, and promotion of “Beautiful Negros”.
The tourism industry pillars will be there also to share the mandates of DOT and the attached agencies.
The basics and trends in tourism will be elucidated.
Topics on child welfare will be included in child safe tourism and child protection laws.
There are cases that children become victims of tourism because of abusive tourists and lack of knowledge by the people in the community.
Women, especially those working in the direct vicinity, will also be affected.
To protect our “Women In Tourism” (WIT), our tourist policemen should know gender and development programs. That is the main concern of Tourism Area Coordinator Tim Ticar, the health and safety of our women.
That trained personnel of the PNP will be deployed in tourism strategic places in their LGUs.
In there, they are required to show off their skills and knack in excellent service, a trademark that should be developed in their tourism brand.
This could be effectively done because they have already learned the tourist behavior patterns, and market profiles.
In Silay, our trained tourist policemen will be deputized to help guests, performers, and viewers of the International Rondalla Festival hosted by Silay City Government on November 3 to 10, 2018.
They will be provided areas of concern where the performances are. Other LGUs can also utilize the trained policemen because we will facilitate free outreach programs in identified town and cities.
Topcop awareness seminar will also offer knowledge on local tourist products and services.
PNP resource persons will give focus on basic investigation procedures, basic principles of tourist safety, and tourist safety protocol.
We want our policemen to be morally upright while giving excellent service. They should mentally and heartily master their lessons on “Moral Recovery Program.”
Our secretariat will facilitate (on the third day) a technical tour so that the trainees will have a thorough knowledge of the tourist routes, and packages we are offering.
They should not become aliens in their own province. We want them to be masters, and real guardians of the tourism industry.
We want to tell our tourist police trainees, “Abundant blessings are not what we gather, but what we scatter; not what we keep, but what we give away unselfishly.”
Enjoy tourism!