The 2nd Niti Tour Guiding Graduation Night

CONGRATULATIONS to the graduates of the 2nd Niti Tour Guiding Course.

The Negros Island Tourism Inc. (Niti), through the initiative of its president Ruth Minerva Cruz, organized its first Tour Guiding Seminar last year, which I graduated from.

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I remember the 10 Saturdays reserved for the various course subjects ranging from food to songs and dances, to fiestas and elocution lessons aside from the obvious classes on architecture, tourist spots and geography. I remember the field trips we'd take to get a first-hand feel of being on the road. After all, tour guiding is traveling and we can't work as armchair travelers. Many little-known facts we've learned along the way always debunked the myth that there's nothing to see in Negros except sugarcane.

This year's Grad Night was a culmination of the comprehensive 2nd Niti Tour Guiding Seminar. Well-organized by Jovial Media Events, the seminar attracted participants of various backgrounds. Agricultural Office workers, retirees, a triathlete, a popular blogger (Experience Negros), a formerly US-based medical doctor, and, of course, tourism-related personalities proudly claimed their certificates of completion last August 11 at the Sugarland Hotel. They had not only completed the Saturday sessions but also had taken the written and practical exams both duly supervised by the Department of Tourism. I as one of the rators, together with Atty. Baba Jasmin of the National Office of DOT, and Atty. Camarista of the DOT Regional Office where we hopped on the Nyala coaster and rated the tour guiding skills of the participants early this month. We were blessed with good weather that day despite an overcast and rainy early morning. Rain or shine, a tourist guide's job goes on.

I warmly acknowledge the presence of Provincial Tourism Officer Jennylind Cordero, who showed support for the occasion. It was the Provincial Government that sponsored our dinner. Many, many thanks.

We also appreciated the following guests for gracing the affair: City Tourism Officer Imogene Kanaan, resource speakers Messrs. Raymund Fuentes and Bambi Borromeo, Mr. Fred Ea of Nyala Rent-a-Car, and our special guest for the night Board Member Nehemias de la Cruz of Salvador Benedicto. Hon. de la Cruz is the Chairman of the Committee on Cooperative and Tourism. At the podium, he spoke passionately about developing our local tourism because our province has so much to offer, and the role of tourist guides in this promising and revenue-earning industry. As our guest speaker that night, we knew he knew what he was talking about. After all, this is the man who carved the mountains of his municipality to become the Baguio of Negros Occidental. Salvador Benedicto is now a favorite weekend spot for Negrenses and tourists from other parts of the country. Good roads, the cool climate, and natural sights make this an accessible and worthy destination.

Believe it or not, it was a shame for me not to know what an azucena flower looked like until Board Member de la Cruz pointed some out to me while we were seated by the pool before the program started.

This stately flower with its heady scent is also known as tuberose (polianthes tuberosa) and is sought after by perfume makers. Although not endemic to our country (this originated from Mexico), we do grow these delicate-looking beauties up in the highlands of Salvador Benedicto.

Just before introducing the onorable speaker, I had the guests guess what the centerpiece flowers were and, expectedly, Edna Garde of the Agriculture Office gave out the correct answer. The others didn't know the flower's name either. Some thought Azucena was the dog that ended on the platter.

Raymund Fuentes quipped that the latter was a play of words - a combination of "Aso + Cena (dinner)." All right, guys, now we know. As tour guides, we should know things like this. See? Tour guides should never stop learning. So should the locals. Any Negrense can be part of the tourism industry. All he needs is a genuine love for our province and our country, a passion for learning, a pride in our unique culture, and enrollment at the next NITI Tour Guiding Seminar.

I would like to extend my congratulations for a job well-done to Ruth Cruz who loves our province with a passion, and whose concern to make our locality a tourist magnet deserves support. Thank you, Ruth, for paving the way. To Maricar Dabao of Jovial Media Event, kudos for organizing this event with patience and determination, not to mention the persistence of a bulldog. More power to Negros! Mabuhay ang bagong graduates! Mabuhay ang Pilipinas!