Lapu cops strengthenties with dive shops

CEBU, Philippines - The Lapu-Lapu City Police is strengthening its partnership with owners and operators of dive shops and water sports utilities in the city in its campaign to make the city a premier tourism destination.

Yesterday, the LCPO called a dialogue with the owners and operators of dive shops and water sports utilities to thank them for their cooperation the past year and to orient them of the PNP’s program – the Lapu-Lapu City Tourist Police.

Present during the meeting were Simplicio Gilig, Cesaria Ompad, Linda Ompad, Emi Bonghanoy, Lavilla Chua, Jaime Lapac, Joselito Espinosa, Ferdy Balao, Larry Intong, Noel Bernales, Bienvenido Timtim, LCPO Director Anthony Obenza, Supt Loreto Delelis, Supt Virgil Ranes, Supt Percival Zorilla and PO2 Lorgina Sayson.

SPO1 Rodito Viovicente, Lapu-Lapu Police Community Relations Officer, said the police would want the owners and operators of dive shops and water sports utilities to help authorities protect tourists.

Viovicente said a more appropriate and effective strategy can be put in place if the police will have a full grasp of the “inner workings” of the tourism industry.

Most of the owners and operators of dive shop and water utility sports in Lapu-Lapu City are small and middle scale entrepreneurs who provide sea-based services such as snorkeling and scuba diving lessons, actual dive site guiding, rental of boat and diving gear, and lease of other water-borne sport equipment such as jetski, kayak, banana boat and parasail.

There are 37 dive shop owners and water-sports operators providing these services to tourists with some of them connected with hotels and resorts while others operate independently.

Aside from security and safety issues it is also important that the industry players are compliant with coastal and marine environmental laws and regulations such as the Fisheries Code and Wild life Act, Viovicente said.

These laws have very specific regulations protecting coral reefs, marine animals and their habitats, said Mar Guidote of the United States Coral Triangle Initiative (USCTI). Violation of these laws is an actionable police matter.

Guidote said dive shops and resorts owners cash-in on these resources when promoting it to tourists so it is natural for them to protect these resources. However, there are irresponsible divers to watch out for especially those who deliberately destroy corals.

Astrid Lim of the Cebu Uniting for Sustainable Water (CUSW), one of those LLCPO requested to help facilitate the dialogue, the seeming lack of clear regulations in the registration of dive boats is one of the issues raided during the dialogue.

Apart from the circuitous and unclear process, registration is also costly and, as a result, some boat owners no longer renew their registration.

Lim said a meeting with the Maritime Industry Authority and the Philippine Coast Guard has to be in place to clarify these issues. A separate meeting with the Department of Tourism and City Tourism Office is also being requested to shed light on the specific regulations about tour guiding and tour operations in the city.

The LCPO earlier convened the chiefs-of-security of hotels and restaurants in Lapu-Lapu City to consult them of the public order and safety issues they encounter.

The Lapu-Lapu City Tourist Police was created in 2009 by the PNP with the support of the local government to attend to the security and safety needs of both tourists and service providers.

With at least 20 policemen assigned to the unit, the Tourist Police has undergone numerous training to handle tourism-specific issues.

Tourist Police has a detachment located in Barangay Marigondon, Barangay Maribago and Barangay Pajac and cops assigned to the unit wear a different uniform so they can be identified easily.

In a few months, a Tourist Police Assistance Center will be opened near the Lapu-Lapu City Hall. – /JMO