City trains ‘kutseros’ as tourism frontliners

THE City Government of San Fernando continues to promote and preserve its rich culture, traditions, and heritage as it conducted a seminar and workshop for all calesa drivers or “kutseros” to train them as tourism frontliners on August 15 to 16 at San Fernando Old Train Station.

Spearheaded by the City Tourism Office and in partnership with the Department of Tourism (DOT)-Central Luzon, the said activity is now on its second time in educating, inspiring, and motivating the “kutseros” in the city to uphold the local government’s mission to strengthen and preserve the calesa.

The participants were taught on tour guiding techniques and given lectures on work values, personality development, roles and responsibilities as tour guide, and how to deal with passengers by Department of Tourism national accredited tour guide and speaker Dolores Salamanca.

“San Fernando is one of the remaining station that has a heritage district that is why the calesa is a very important component when it comes to heritage tour. I hope this training will serve as an inspiration for the calesa drivers so they can be proud of the city and provide tourists a safe trip and good,” Salamanca said.

They also underwent actual mock tour in the San Fernando Heritage district to boost their self-confidence and enhance their communication skills.

After successfully completing the two-day seminar and workshop, calesa drivers are now officially DOT-3 trained tour guides and received their certificates of completion.

In an interview, Mayor Edwin ‘EdSa’ Santiago stressed that Fernandinos can promote calesa as a daily mode of transportation by reviving or sustaining the tradition of riding on it, so that the future generation may adapt it.

“The calesa is the primary transport of Fernandinos then that is why we are preserving them for our tourists and more importantly, for our culture because they mirror the city’s heritage and traditions,” he said. (PR)