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Community volunteers form barangay tourism council
Source: Manila Bulletin
Author: Frankie M. Lagniton
Date: 2004-02-20
 
ALAMINOS CITY, Pangasinan — The Culture of Tourism Conference and Workshop conducted by the Philippine Tourism Authority (PTA), Department of Tourism (DoT), Travel Cooperative of the Philippines (TCP), National Association of Independent Travel Agencies (NAITAS) and TravelPost magazine in this city last week resulted in the formation of the Lucap Barangay Tourism Council (LBTC) comprising of eleven community volunteers led by Eliza Fontanilla of Lucap.



As organized, the LBTC is expected to bring issues and concerns in the barangay to the attention of the DoT, PTA, and the city government of Alaminos, especially on the issue of dynamite and cyanide fishing within the waters of the Hundred Islands National Park. Clamshells that were recently planted by PTA in the waters of the Hundred Islands to enhance the area’s ecosystem, for example, have been stolen.



Barangay Lucap is the jump-off point for tours to the Hundred Islands. The PTA runs a seaside hostel in the area but offers no standard tourist amenities to entice foreign visitors in group tours who prefer comfort and convenience in their accommodations. The hostel was built in mid-1970s as low-end accommodations for backpackers and students.



Conference topics and speakers included: How Can Alaminos Grow With Tourism by Secretary Hernani Braganza (former congressman, Sec. of Political Affairs, Sec of Agrarian Reform); Barangay Tourism by Mario Villanueva, tourism officer of Marikina City; Law & Order: Elixir of Tourism by Col. Tamayo of the Philippine National Police; Sun, Sand, Sea Or Mountains? (Understanding the business mind of tour operators) by Ed Nuque, managing director, Lakbay TV and Kalakbayan Travel Systems; Cooperatives – New Roadmap to Success by Bobby Joseph, TCP chairman; and Prospects of Domestic Tourism by Angel Ramos Bognot, NAITAS president.



Sponsored by the PTA and the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office, the conference and workshop is an educational program of TCP and NAITAS designed to enhance the attitude of citizens and tourism stakeholders within a community, barangay, or municipality towards the promotion of community-based tourism.



Hundred Islands was the first national park proclaimed by the government during administration of the late President Manuel Quezon. Under the late DoT Secretary and PTA chairman Jose D. Aspiras, the park became a popular tourist spot, which was supported by a joint DoT / PTA promotions.



"Without the LGU officials becoming conscious of tourism as a viable and practical tool in helping create local jobs and entrepreneurial opportunities in a barangay, DoT’s effort in pushing the growth of domestic tourism will not prosper," said Bobby Joseph, chairman of TCP and NAITAS, adding that "the private sector of the tourism industry has done its share through investments in hotels, resorts, and air, land and sea transportation. The DoT needs to go down to the barangay level if it wants to develop the culture of tourism among Filipinos in remote areas."



NAITAS president Angel Ramos Bognot explained that sustaining the country’s visibility in overseas markets is easier than changing and enhancing the attitude of residents of a barangay towards tourism.



Visibility in overseas markets is just a question of money while nurturing the culture of tourism requires money, time and great effort to be understood and appreciated by the stakeholders at the grassroots level, Bognot pointed out.



Tourism Secretary and PTA general manager Dean Barbers has said that outside of the tourism industry, many LGU officials do not appreciate tourism as the preferred tool in helping alleviate poverty through enhanced economic activities at the grassroots level.



Barbers said that when citizens in a community become more aware about the economic benefits that tourism brings, "environmental degradation in tourist spots will also be reduced if not eliminated, while a neighborhood watch in a small community, for example, could foil terrorist activities thereby helping ensure the safety of tourists."
 

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