DOT chief marks first 100 days in office with listening tours
MANILA, Philippines — “As I have already manifested early in my appointment, I intend to be a listening secretary throughout my term.”
This was what Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco said during the plenary confirmation of her appointment last September 27.
In July, Frasco already expressed her intent to conduct a listening tour to see for herself and hear the challenges faced by the Department of Tourism’s regional offices and tourism stakeholders across Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.
She is hopeful that the listening tours could assess the contemporary challenges in the tourism sector. These include the fund availability and utilization, tourism infrastructure and transportation which were among the issues raised during the discussions with the regional offices.
“The objective being to be at the front and center of the prevailing issues that need to be addressed and to craft solutions that will ensure the full rehabilitation and recovery of the tourism industry,” Frasco said last July 4.
LGU experience
Her passion to become a “listening secretary” stemmed from her extensive experience in the local government unit.
Prior to her appointment as the tourism chief, Frasco was the Mayor of Liloan, Cebu since June 2016. Under her leadership, the municipality of Liloan received the highest audit rating, “unqualified opinion” from the Commission on Audit for 4 years. She was also rated as the “top performing mayor in Central Visayas in 2016 and was also the national vice president of the League of Municipalities.
Frasco said she would bank on her years of experience and perspective from working in LGU to make the country’s tourism industry “a major pillar” for economic recovery and resiliency, which is President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s vision for the industry.
Marcos also mentioned this in his first State of the Nation Address in July where he cited tourism as among his administration’s top priorities.
VisMin
The tourism chief, meanwhile, kicked off the first leg of her listening tours on July 7.
She met with the top officials of DOT Region 6 (Western Visayas), Region 7 (Central Visayas), Region 8 (Eastern Visayas) Region 9 (Zamboanga Peninsula), Region 10 (Northern Mindanao), Region 11 (Davao Region), Region 12 (SOCKSARGEN), and Region 13 (CARAGA) at the Radisson Blu Hotel, Cebu.
During the tours, she encouraged the DOT regional offices in the Visayas and Mindanao regions to continuously reach out to LGUs and stakeholders to ensure the alignment of tourism development initiatives.
“Moving forward, I would want for us, in the same way, that I am reaching out to you, to continuously reach out to our local government officials and local stakeholders because I think that the model for that—which has been Cebu—has proven very successful that even throughout the pandemic, domestic tourism still flourished because DOT Region, the Provincial Government, local government officials, and private stakeholders were all aligned. And it is this alignment that we need across all regions that will spell the success of our endeavors in the Department,” the secretary said.
“The reality is that the success or failure of our industry rests in the success or failure of our regions because this is where our tourist destinations are,” she added.
Luzon
Frasco continued the conduct of her listening tours in Luzon where she met the heads of the DOT offices in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), Region 1 (Ilocos Region), Region 2 (Cagayan Valley), Region 3 (Central Luzon), Region 4A (CALABARZON), Region 4B (MIMAROPA), and Region 5 (Bicol Region) on July 21.
The regional offices raised a variety of issues they are experiencing such as the accessibility of landlocked tourism destinations, lack of flights and/or airports and roads, difficulties in hiring regional personnel, and other administrative barriers, among others.
The tourism secretary extended her hand of collaboration to all regions across the country. She stressed that through this, the DOT would fully exercise its mandate. Its efforts must not only be concentrated in areas near the Central Office but also in the farthest areas “to allow the expansion of economic and livelihood opportunities for LGUs across the country.”
"Certainly, these are matters that we note with serious consideration, with the intention to extend better assistance from the central office to your regional offices recognizing that it's simply impossible for us to succeed as a department, without the help, the input, and the success of our individual regions. And that is very important to me, recognizing that the success of each region will also spell the success of our country in general," Frasco told the regional directors.
In a separate event, Frasco met with various organizations and associations including the following:
- Subic-Clark Alliance for Development (SCAD)
- Luzon International Premier Airport Development (LIPAD) Corporation
- Association of Tourism Officers of the Philippines (ATOP)
- Clark Development Corporation (CDC); Pampanga Agents Travel Society (PATS)
- Hotels and Restaurants Association in Pampanga (HARP)
- Central Luzon Farm Tourism Association; Accredited Guides Association of Pampanga (AGAP)
- Pampanga Bike Adventure Tour
These participants aired their concerns and suggestions for the sectors they are representing. These include requests for additional government support and increased inclusivity in terms of promotions, trainings, and harmonization of accreditation standards for the industry.
Thailand
Meanwhile, in August, Frasco met with her counterpart Thailand Ministry of Tourism and Sports (MOTS) Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn on the sidelines of the 11th Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Tourism Ministerial Meeting (TMM) to strengthen bilateral tourism initiatives between the two countries.
She also took her listening tour there and reached out to the tourism stakeholders of Thailand. This convened the representatives of Thailand’s tourism sectors including leisure, education tourism, dive tourism, MICE, and aviation.
Among the attendees are representatives of the Thai Travel Agents Association (TTAA), Esque Lifestyle & Travel; Jubilee Travel Co. Ltd.; Dive Potato; SC World Express; Big World Holiday; Worldwide Agency Co. Ltd.; Abroad Land; Pleione Travel Co. Ltd.; Supertrips Co. Ltd.; All Around Trading & Holidays Co. Ltd.; Kor Pun Gun; Bright Idea; Mango Learning Express; Philippine Airlines, Cebu Pacific Air (Thailand); Thai Air Asia; and Siam Tourism Group Co. Ltd.
Their discussions revolved around learning and exploring the best practices in the industry.
They also explored possible collaborations with the industry players to attract more Thai tourists to come to the Philippines and convened the representatives.
The possibility of developing a link between Thailand, Japan and the Philippines was also raised.
The DOT reported that the participants likewise noted the Philippines’ strength in the portfolios of education tourism, particularly English as a second language (ESL), and Culture and the Arts, specifically on the preservation of our heritage and culture.
In view of this, Frasco and Thailand MOTS Ratchakitprakarn agreed to share the workforce. The DOT said thousands of jobs in the hospitality industry of Thailand, particularly in the accommodation sector will be available to the Filipino tourism workforce because of this deal.
"We note with serious consideration the shortage in the tourism workforce coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic. I am presently in discussions with the Philippine Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) wherein we have agreed to conduct joint job fairs all over the Philippines, specifically catered to the tourism industry for the purpose of ensuring that those that left the industry or may have been laid off from the industry during the time of pandemic would once again have the opportunity to be employed," Frasco said in August.
Relatedly, the following month, last September 22, the DOT and DOLE sponsored the first-ever national job fair called "Trabaho, Turismo, Asenso Philippine Tourism Job Fair." It was held simultaneously in the cities of Manila, Cebu, and Davao, where over 8,300 tourism-related jobs were offered.
Here’s a look at the summary of the job fair by the numbers:
LOOK: DOT-DOLE-sponsored Trabaho, Turismo, Asenso! 1st Philippine tourism job fair by the numbers
— Rosette Adel (@rosette_adel) October 3, 2022
• 157 employers offered 8,310 tourism-related jobs in Manila, Cebu & Davao legs of the job fair
• Over 9k registered to apply
• 395 were hired on the spot @PhilstarNews pic.twitter.com/6TGjIXnJyl
Aside from listening tours and the national job fair, Frasco previously laid out new projects and convergence programs that the Department of Tourism plans to carry out under her leadership during the briefing with the House Committee on Appropriations on the proposed 2023 budget of the agency last August 30.
Tourism projects
The projects include Bisita Be My Guest Program, a guest incentive system for overseas Filipino Workers; the development of a Tourist Lifecycle App and ground break of tourist rest areas (TRA) across the countries, among many others.
On Friday, October 7 Frasco led the groundbreaking ceremony and Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) signing of the first of a series of TRA nationwide in Manolo Fortich, Bukidnon and Samal Island in Davao del Norte.
She also spearheaded the establishment of TRA in the municipalities of Carmen and Medellin, Cebu.
The TRA seeks to provide convenience and comfort to tourists. It will highlight the provision of clean restrooms for tourists in transit to different tourist destinations.
It is eyed to be a one-stop-shop for tourists where they can enjoy a coffee shop, pasalubong and souvenir store, tourist Information area, and a charging station.
CA appointment
Meanwhile, Frasco who was sworn into office during the oath taking of Cabinet secretaries at the Malacañang Palace on June 30, got the Commission on Appointment nod last September 27, coinciding with the annual commemoration of World Tourism Day.
As a listening secretary, she vowed to her leadership to be “consultative, collaborative, and inclusive in its efforts to attain the overarching vision of President Marcos, Jr. for tourism to become one of the major pillars for economic growth in the Philippines, and to lift up the industry to a certain level that will allow its benefits and development to encompass all parts of the country.”
“I will continue to reach out to all our tourism stakeholders in the public and private sectors, whom we consider our invaluable partners, to take part in this shared tourism governance with the DOT so as to ensure that our policies and programs are aimed towards rebuilding and transforming Philippine tourism into a more sustainable, practical, and resilient industry in the face of the pandemic and other disasters,” she said.
- Latest
- Trending
