Super region to have tourism police and firefighter units

Special police and firefighter units will be formed soon in Central Philippines’ “super region” to safeguard tourism efforts of the government and help develop the region as the country’s tourist hubs.

Department of the Interior and Local Government Secretary Ronaldo Puno has ordered both the Philippine National Police and the Bureau of Fire Protection to create their respective special teams over Central Philippines, which has tourism as its primary development theme.

Central Philippines consists of Regions 5, 6, 7, and 8, the provinces of Romblon, Palawan, and Camiguin, and the island of Siargao.

The tourism police forces will protect tourist hubs while the special fire units will conduct regular checks on tourism establishments for compliance of fire safety laws and standards all throughout Central Philippines, said Puno.

Puno also urged every local government in this region to attune their respective tourism initiatives with the national tourism program of the government.

“As far as the DILG is concerned, we are focusing on the law enforcement front and fire safety issues to ensure a safe and secure environment in our tourist sites,” he said.

In August last year, President Gloria Arroyo issued Executive Order No. 561 subdividing the country into five super or mega regions to consolidate development efforts in these respective areas.

Aside from Central Philippines, the four others are: 1) Northern Luzon Agribusiness Quadrangle—consisting of Regions I, II, Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), and northern part of the provinces of Aurora (north of Baler), Tarlac (north of Tarlac City), Nueva Ecija (north of Cabanatuan City), and Zambales (north of Subic);

2) Luzon Urban Beltway—consisting of National Capital Region, Region IV-A, provinces of Bulacan, Bataan, Pampanga, Mindoro, Marinduque, and the southern parts of the provinces of Tarlac, Zambales, Aurora, and Nueva Ecija;

4) Agribusiness Mindanao, consisting of Regions IX, X except Camiguin, XI, XII, Caraga except Siargao, and the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao; and

5) the Cyber Corridor, which traverses the super regions from Baguio to Cebu to Davao.

Arroyo said primary, though not exclusive, development themes of these four other regions are agribusiness (for Northern Luzon quadrangle); industrial and service centers (for Luzon Urban Beltway); agribusiness (for Agribusiness Mindanao), and information and communications technology (for Cyber Corridor). — Ferliza C. Contratista/RAE