Cebu’s tourism feats

CEBU, Philippines —  Among the successes Governor Gwendolyn Garcia highlighted during her State of the Province Address (SOPA) last Friday is the comeback of Cebu's tourism projects and attractions.

“Our slow, deliberate and steady easing up of restrictions in the tourism sector early is paying off now, as we see tourism at close to, or in some areas, even beyond pre-pandemic levels,” she said.   

The governor said that in August 2020, she reopened tourism in the entire province, thus becoming the first local government unit (LGU) to do so.

Because of this, she said, Cebu has been the most prepared to absorb the resurgence of tourism--of revenge tourism--in the past two years.

In particular, she cited the "Suroy-Suroy sa Sugbo" program, which was revived in 2022 and brought thousands of tourists to the Camotes Islands and to western Cebu this year.

She said that the Suroy-Suroy experience, which she started in 2008, was "so groundbreaking, positively received, and in fact, not only developed tourism in the countryside but spurred economic activity and development as well".

The Department of Tourism, through her daughter Secretary Christina Garcia-Frasco, even adopted it by launching its regional  "Philippine Experience Program: Heritage, Culture, and Arts Caravan"

The governor also said that the Provincial Government is likewise committed to investing in tourism infrastructure aside from improvement of roads, mentioning DOT's rollout of four Tourism Rest Areas (TRA) in the Cebu towns of Medellin, Carmen, Carcar, and Moalboal.

 "In appreciation, the Province of Cebu has decided to provide a counterpart by constructing an equal number, or four or maybe even more, tourist areas in the province,” she further said.

According to the DOT, constructing TRAs is a flagship project that President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. identified as among his administration's priority programs.

Each TRA is important as it serves as "a convergence point that foreign and local travelers could approach by getting information on tourism sites and attractions, activities, accommodations, reporting concerns related to safety and security, and gaining access to other provisions necessary during their stay at a destination, such as a clean restroom and shower area—all free for guests to use".

The facility also has charging stations and a "pasalubong" (gift) center that would help boost the livelihood of micro-, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs).

The governor likewise mentioned in her SOPA the return of the "Pasigarbo sa Sugbo" after a two-year hiatus. She said it "came back with a huge bang, with the biggest participation of 52 LGUs, including Cebu City and Lapulapu City as guest contingents".

She also reported that sports tourism is back with the "Governor Gwen Garcia Unity Volleyball Cup (GUV Cup)", which Cebu City and Lapu-Lapu City and almost all Cebu LGUs participated in.

And, "by popular demand", the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center Dancing Inmates are back, the governor said.

SUGBO NEGOSYO

The governor likewise mentioned the "Sugbo Negosyo", where her administration "invested in budding entrepreneurs in micro or small enterprises all around the province whose creativity needs just a little push to make them viable businesses, if not the next big thing".

For "Season 2" of the program, the Province already distributed another P100 million to 10,000 beneficiaries identified by the office of the vice governor and of the 17 board members.

At the barangay level, the Province expanded the "Bugasan sa Kababayen-an", which is a livelihood program to empower the women of Cebu.

"This program, which we started in 2008, provides registered women's organizations with ten sacks of rice as seed capital, which they will use to set up their own rice retail store," Garcia said.

With the help of the "Lady Local Legislators' League", the women's organizations are also provided  with financial literacy training before they receive the sacks of rice.

Garcia promised that the Province would ensure that the program would reach each of the 1,093 barangays of Cebu.

SUGBO BABOYAN SA TUGKARAN

The governor's SOPA likewise included the Province's "Sugbo Baboyan sa Tugkaran", which provides livelihood at the purok level of the barangays through the distribution of organically grown native hogs.

Under this program, the LGUs were provided with P1 million in funding for the raising, breeding, and dispersal of native pigs, thus significantly boosting the supply of native, organically grown pigs for Cebu's lechon industry, which is currently threatened by the African Swine Fever.

CARAVAN OF SERVICES

As part of her administration's thrust, the governor also mentioned that since its start in December 2019, 147 "Caravan of Services" were conducted in the province's seven legislative districts, including the Bantayan, Camotes, and Pilar islands.

The caravan has also expanded to include the Department of Interior and Local Government, Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, Department of Social Welfare and Development, Land Transportation Office, Globe Telecom, Integrated Bar of the Philippines, among others, as partner institutions.

For the caravan during the third quarter of this year, the governor said Cebu partnered with the "Kadiwa ng Pangulo" and the "Diskwento Caravan" so that cheap National Food Authority (NFA) rice sold at P25 a kilo would also be available, as well as farm-produce and other commodities. 

“This synergistic partnership...is a first in the country, with the Province of Cebu heeding the President’s call to adopt the Kadiwa ng Pangulo,” the governor said in her SOPA.

The partnership also includes the Office of the Presidential Assistant for the Visayas, Department of Labor and Employment, and the Department of Trade and Industry. /RHM