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Thursday, August 03, 2006
N. Oriental excluded anew in tourism promotion
By Maricar Aranas
FOR the second time, local officials experienced another slight after the regional office of the Department of Tourism failed to include Negros Oriental in its tourism promotion.
The first time happened two years ago when Tourism Secretary Ace Durano allegedly did not include Negros Oriental in the department's television tourism promotion campaign.
Dumaguete City Mayor Agustin Perdices placed the blame squarely on tourism regional director Patricia Roa after reading an article in the July 17 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer about a visit of the American ambassador, the US consul general, and attaché to tourism attractions in Central Visayas.
Perdices lamented that the article mentioned Central Visayas, but introduced only Bohol and Cebu.
He said he was happy when President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo mentioned Central Visayas in the government's tourism program during her State of the Nation Address last July 24, but that he was saddened by the article that quoted statements by Roa.
The mayor clarified that when it comes to talking about Central Visayas, its four provinces should be mentioned because Cebu and Bohol were not the only provinces of the region.
Perdices stressed that Negros Oriental and Siquijor have their own distinct tourism attraction and that it was time for the province to assert itself because the promotion thrusts were mostly on Cebu and Bohol.
On the other hand, echoing the city mayor's sentiment, Provincial Board Member Mariant Escaño-Villegas who chairs the committee on tourism said she immediately called up Roa about the article.
Villegas said Roa had explained that the visit of the American officials to Bohol and Cebu were coursed through a conduit in the US that selected the sites to visit.
Roa, she said, had also assured that she had not ignored Negros Oriental in the tourism package.
Villegas said she wanted to learn more about the conduit to encourage the group to also promote the province's tourist attractions.
Villegas admitted that she was also depressed by the article, but said she was happy that the mayor reacted strongly so that concerned government agencies would know that other sectors were monitoring the government's tourism program.
(August 3, 2006 issue)
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