DOT asks Lapu freeze tour guide ordinance

CEBU, Philippines - The Department of Tourism (DOT-7) has requested the Lapu-Lapu City government to implement a moratorium on ordinance 476-2012, otherwise known as “ An ordinance Regulating the operation of Tour Guides in the City of Lapu-Lapu.”In a letter addressed to Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Paz C. Radaza, DOT-7 regional director Rowena Montecillo asked the Mayor to have implement the ordinance in 2013, as DOT-7 will have to train 350 Korean Guides up to December this year.

Due to recognition of the DOT accreditation Montecillo emphasized that tour guides get their license where they reside. This permit she added is a requirement for DOT accreditation, which if granted will enable them to act as guides anywhere in the region.

“Requiring them to secure more than one permit is giving them so much burden as frontliners trained to sell the destination.” Montecillo said.

Moreover, Montecillo expressed apprehension that this ordinance may set a precedent as other Cities of Municipalities may copy the ordinance and apply it in their respective jurisdictions and can even cause confusion.

“Since DOT-7 trained 50 Korean Nationals last May 7-13 [2012], we may respectfully request to exempt them and the rest who will be trained up to the end of the year from the orientation and issuance of 2012 Mayor’s permit since the implementing rules and regulation [IRR] is not yet in place,” said Montecillo in her letter to Radaza.

DOT-7 also requested the Lapu-Lapu City government to include the tour guide and travel operators’ organizations, such as Cebu Association of Tour Operators (CATO), Cebu Association of Tour Guides (CAT-G), and DOT for the review of the orinance’s IRR, as part of the committee.

Earlier, players of the tour guiding industry in Cebu, including Korean Tour guides asked the help of the Korean Consulate office in Cebu led by Consul Augusto Go, to help resolve this concern.

In a consultative meeting held recently with Cebu tourism stakeholders, led by the Korean Association of Tour Operators (KATO), Cebu Korean Association, CATO, CAT-G, as well as hoteliers and airline players, Korean tourists handlers lamented on the redundancy of requirements implemented recently by the Lapu-Lapu City government through an ordinance.

Alex Lee, president of KATO expressed that the Lapu-Lapu government is making it hard for the tourism service providers to comply some requirements, specifically permits, identification cards, while the organization’s members already obtained a DOT-accredited IDs.

Likewise, CAT-G president Judilyn Taghoy shared KATO’s sentiment, saying tour guides are made to comply with several requirements in Lapu-Lapu City, which are redundant to the nationally issued identification cards among tour guides.

These and other concerns were aired out by the tourism stakeholders during the recent forum, also attended by officials of the Korean Embassy in Manila.

Korean Consul to Cebu Augusto Go, said that in order to boost Korean arrivals to Cebu, these concerns should be immediately brought up to the concerned LGU executives in Lapu-Lapu City, and more importantly, the DOT secretary Jimenez should be informed of this problem.

“The government [DOT] is spending money to attract more tourists to the country, and here we are making it difficult for our tourists once they’re here. Something is wrong here,” said Go, who described the current Lapu-Lapu City ordinance another “money-making” venture.

Tour guides, and travel operators are required to take a seminar, permit, and identification ID to the Lapu-Lapu City Hall, although they have already obtained similar seminar and IDs issued by the Department of Tourism.

There are about 15 Korean travel agencies in Cebu, about 83 are Korean tour guides, Lee said these groups are helping Cebu to attract more Korean national to visit Cebu, although there are other destinations in the Philippines that have good attraction infrastructure such as in Bicol, and other areas.

In the first quarter of this year, Cebu recorded a total of 100 thousand Korean arrivals in the province. (FREEMAN)