THE Department of Tourism in Davao Region (DOT-Davao) revealed that there are still many resorts in the region that are not accredited by the department, including the controversial beach resort in Davao Oriental.
Based on DOT-Davao’s list of accredited tourism enterprises as of November 11, 2022, there are only three resorts in the region currently accredited, namely Malagos Garden Resort Inc., Paradise Island Park and Beach Resort, and Canibad Secret Paradise.
The accreditation of other resorts in the region expired by October 31 but prior to that, only a total of 25 resorts in the region were accredited.
“We only have a few that’s why ‘yun ang na-discuss ng tourism officers, we will work on that because they do have a lot of establishments without DOT accreditation and some of them hindi rin naman mag-qualify (are actually not qualified),” Tanya Rabat-Tan, DOT-Davao regional director, said during the Peptalks media forum on Tuesday.
Despite this, there are still many unaccredited resorts in the region that are popular and currently operating, especially in the province of Davao Oriental which is known for its pristine beaches.
This includes the beach resort in the municipality of Governor Generoso, Davao Oriental that was recently involved in a controversy earlier this month after its viral exchange with guests received backlash online.
Tan said a DOT-accredited resort means that the establishment has met the standards set by DOT such as proper permit and registration to operate, the standard number of accommodations, and room sizes, among other requirements.
Most likely, resorts or tourism enterprises that are not accredited might have not met DOT’s standards or do not have a proper business permit yet.
Tan added that DOT-Davao’s accreditation team encourages and assists resorts to get accredited and in doing so, they are entitled to a number of benefits such as DOT trainings, promotions, and other opportunities.
On the other hand, resorts can also lose their accreditation in some rare cases.
“Ang mga accredited natin, pag may complaints sa kanila (If accredited resorts receive complaints), they can write to DOT and DOT can take action by referring the matter to the right agency or office. In our case, hindi lang naman enough na may complaint, kailangan mag investigate (complaints are not enough, we need to investigate). Ang pwede gawin kung talaga may (violation), ma-forfeit ng accreditation nila (We can forfeit the accreditation if it is proven that the resort is problematic),” she said.
In line with this, the regional director encourages the public to patronize DOT-accredited resorts or tourism establishments to receive professional services and avoid unwanted altercations. ICM