Siquijor upgrades tourist drivers with knowledge, skills training

LARENA, SIQUIJOR, Philippines — Forty members of the Province of Siquijor Tourist Accredited Drivers Association (POSTADA) have undergone skills training to upgrade their knowledge and interaction with tourists, which the Siquijor State College (SSC) is implementing as part of a project with the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG).

The DILG and the SSC are now promoting the professionalization of tourist drivers to further improve the latter’s performance in dealing with tourists, coupled with the publication of Siquijor Island: Tourist Drivers Guidebook, which will be useful to them in helping the provincial government promote tourism here.

Siquijor is one of the rising tourism hubs in Central Visayas and the influx of tourists, both foreign and local, entails the demand for an upgrade of knowledge among tourist drivers—the frontliners in welcoming tourists—for a well-organized transport system in the province, according to Dr. Josel B. Mansueto, project leader of SSC.

Mansueto told The Freeman that the island is relatively small and the transport industry here is confined to jeeps, motorcycles, and mostly tricycles-for- hire. With the knowledge project, drivers will be well equipped with the skills in ably showing to tourists the beauty of the island-province of Siquijor, and the culture of its people, he said.

It will also help the transportation industry here in meeting the demands of the tourists in terms of providing and maximizing their stay by giving them the pleasant experience beyond their expectations, Mansueto said.

Tourists will appreciate the benefits of this knowledge project for drivers and eventually come home with great experiences. “This is how the paradise island wanted to offer, starting this year,” Mansueto added.

Under the knowledge project, the tourist drivers of POSTADA underwent training on conversational skills, using mixed languages of Bisaya, Korean, Tagalog, and French, including cross-cultural communications and cultural diversity, as well as skills on attaining customer delight, and basic First Aid as part of its harm reduction skills.

POSTADA president Neolito Samson, for his part, said the tourist drivers earlier lack the necessary skills in dealing with tourists, especially those from Europe, America and Asia.

Samson said that, as tourist drivers, it is necessary for them to be not just well informed about Siquijor and its places of interest, but also to have effective communication skills.

This knowledge project is a unique one among the 10 research development programs of the DILG this year, as presented in Manila by Dr. Mansueto, Irish Alysa V. Herlao, June Kristine E. Ando, and Dianne Duhaylungsod, together with Siquijor provincial government officials. (FREEMAN)