Concerns of PWDs, senior citizens on Suroy Suroy noted

CEBU, Philippines - The concerns of persons with disabilities (PWDs) and senior citizens on the Suroy Suroy Sugbo project will be addressed as the provincial government works for the institutionalization of the project to sustain it even after the term of Governor Gwendolyn Garcia.

The PWDs raised their concerns during the public hearing of the proposed ordinance sponsored by Provincial Board Member Arleigh Jay Sitoy.

Sitoy who is suffering from a disability himself raised the problem of transportation and accommodation. He said one of the difficulties PWDs face during the trip are the shower rooms, which are not built to be friendly to people on wheel-chairs, cane or crutch.

Participants of the trip are accommodated in resorts or hotels with standard amenities and are provided with buses that would bring them to attractions in the province.

Grace Paulino of the Provincial Tourism Office admitted that each round of the trip is a chance to address the concerns of participants and discover unforeseen concerns. "Every Suroy Suroy is a learning process," she said.

She said organizers do their best to address the concerns, but they also refuse requests that, to their mind, are no longer reasonable. For instance, the request of a weak senior citizen to ride the zipline in Medellin.

Suroy Suroy Sugbo was conceived in 2004 by Garcia together with the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

The said activity is organized into four segments - the Southern Heritage Trail, Northern Escapade, Enchanting Camotes and Explore the Midwest - undertaken separately in a year.

It has continued to thrive and proven itself as a sustainable program not only for tourism promotion but also for cultural and heritage development.

Sitoy who participated in the recent Suroy Suroy in Camotes Island said it is expediently necessary to provide a legal guarantee that would ensure that the program is maintained and continued in the future even if Capitol will have a different set of leaders.

This prompted him to sponsor the ordinance, which is set for second reading in the Provincial Board.

Sitoy added that it is also necessary to rationalize the implementation of the program in order to allow stronger cooperative linkages between the provincial government, component local government units, national agencies and private partners. –(FREEMAN)