‘We can’t stop them’: Delegates told to inform before going on tour

CEBU, Philippines - Officials of the Department of Tourism-7 yesterday admitted that they cannot stop the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) delegates from going on a tour or sight-seeing spree without security.

“We can’t stop them from going out on their free time. (But) we encourage them to drop by at the tourism desk (to inform that they will go out),” said Rowena Montecillo, DOT-7 director.

Montecillo admitted that there were delegates who went hopping to Bohol province for a sight-seeing tour without prior information to the APEC security committee.

But she said they were still able to send security personnel who secretly watched over the delegates while touring in Bohol.

Montecillo said they needed to do it as they did not want to compromise the delegates’ safety during the APEC meetings.

The DOT-7 director believes that these delegates are seasoned travelers who have researched the place prior to actual visiting it, but still, their security must come first.

“We can’t stop them from doing that but it’s our objective that no untoward incident (that will happen to them) during APEC,” she said.

The delegates, she said, were able to go back to their hotel “safe and sound.”

She added that the “Bohol tour” was the first incident so far and that the guests were on their free time when they decided to left for the said province.

Meanwhile, Montecillo said they have free and paid tours that the delegates can join in during their break time. She said several had already attended the local and outside-Cebu tours. —Liv G. Campo/NSA (FREEMAN)