Tourism department holds training

A TOTAL 45 policemen are set to complete Thursday a three-day Tourist Oriented Police for Community Order and Protection (TOP-COP) training and seminar in Zamboanga City.

The training and seminar, which started Tuesday, was being held by the Department of Tourism (DOT) as part of the agency’s program to train policemen to serve as Tourist Police.

“Security is very important to the tourism industry so we want to train our police to be able to know how to handle tourists,” DOT Regional Director Mary June Bugante said.

The participants were taught on their role and mission, Overview of Philippine Tourism, Philippine History, Culture and Tradition, Tourist Behavioral Patterns, Local Product and Service, Child Wise Tourism, and Police First Responder that includes Basic Investigation Procedures, Ways in Handling Tourist-Related Cases, Principle of Tourist Safety, and Tourist Security Protocol.

Bugante said the Tourist Police Office is previously under the DOT but it was transferred to the Philippine National Police (PNP) when Republic Act 9593 or the “Tourism Act of 2009” was enacted into law.

The policemen that undergo the three-day TOP-COP training and seminar are from this city, Zamboanga del Sur, Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga Sibugay, Isabela City, Police Regional Office-9 and Aviation Security Group. (Bong Garcia)