Tourism exec cries foul over negative reports

THE Department of Tourism (DOT) viewed as unfair some reports printed in newspapers about the peace and order situation in Mindanao.

Catalino E. Chan III, DOT-Northern Mindanao director, said these negative reports often “shoo” away tourists who would supposedly visit Mindanao’s tourist spots.

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“Look at those newspapers, you can see ‘Mindanao is in chaos.’ Everybody in the country would think every place in Mindanao is generally affected,” Chan said during a forum attended by members of the Regional Association of Government Communicators (Ragcom) held recently.

Chan said newspapers often print negative reports about the government instead of publishing the “good side.”

“That’s the culture of the Filipinos. Some people love to mock others…and they enjoyed it just to have a story to tell even if it results to public ridicule,”
Chan said.

He noted that newspapers failed to write the good news by making stories focusing on issues that would make government agencies “appear so negative to the public.”

With this, he called on the Ragcom members, who are public information officers of different government agencies in the region, to try to combat these “unwelcome comments from the press.”

During the forum, Chan inducted into office the newly elected officials of Ragcom for 2010-2012 headed by its president, Decius Esmedalla, of the DOT. (Loui S. Maliza)