LGUs urged to work with National Government on tourism

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THE Department of Tourism (DOT)-Eastern Visayas called on local government units (LGUs) to work with the National Government to develop tourism.

DOT regional director Karina Rosa Tiopes said the National Government is currently finalizing its national strategy for the tourism sector, which sets priority areas of the department until 2016.

“In the plan, DOT is also updating the standards of delivery of the LGUs,” Tiopes said during the weekly Express It At the Park media conference on Saturday.

Tiopes said that LGUs have roles in the development of market competitive tourist destinations and products, which is one of the key priorities in the national tourism development plan.

Other strategies focus on improving market access and connectivity and improving tourism institutional, governance and human resource capacities.

“In the development of market competitive tourist destinations and products, DOT will work with LGUs to implement a sustainable tourism transportation and destination infrastructure development program in the strategic destinations,” Tiopes said.

Tiopes added the agency will also facilitate the development of mixed-use tourism complexes and community-based tourism programs in strategic destinations and implement a mandatory tourism enterprise accreditation and certification system.

“We will also facilitate tourism investment and simplify business set-up and licensing procedures, enhance efforts to safeguard natural and cultural heritage sites and vulnerable groups, and roll out a major public-private sector funded marketing campaign targeting key growth markets,” Tiopes said.

To improve tourism institutional, governance and human resource capacities, DOT will sit down with the LGUs to clarify institutional roles and responsibilities between the DOT and LGUs and undertake awareness and capacity building programs at the local level.

The department will also work with the private sector, Department of Labor and Employment (Dole), Commission on Higher Education (Ched) and Technical Education Skills and Development Authority (Tesda) to develop a highly competent, well-motivated and productive tourism workforce; and improve governance in the area of safety, security and in dealing with tourists, tourism investors and tourism enterprises at the national and local levels.

The agency also identified 25 strategic thematic tourism destination clusters covering 77 tourism development areas (TDA). It also plans to finalize the list of transportation and infrastructure projects to be done and their respective cost estimates; package these projects for implementation and financing, arranging and scheduling these packages of works, assess the broad economic returns of the investment; and deliver remaining non-infrastructure outputs.

Meanwhile, the DOT regional director said the tourism development plan is now being reviewed by the economic cluster of the Cabinet.

The National Tourism Development Plan outlines the key result areas for the DOT administration. (Leyte Samar Daily 

Express)

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The task: Housing a nation

Philippine Daily Inquirer

THIS REFERS to Anna Marie Karaos’ article “HUDCC-LGU partnerships.” (Inquirer, 9/5/10) I wish to extend my deepest appreciation of her insightful article which enumerated the challenges of housing a nation.

She correctly pointed out that the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC) must also address the need to steer urban growth and development. As she noted, all housing programs and urban development thrusts will need the active participation of local government units.

I am deeply moved by Karaos’ challenge and confidence that I, as a former city mayor and now HUDCC chair, have excellent opportunities to do this. We are indeed drawing up housing and urban development programs with the LGUs in mind, so that they can better serve their constituents. The Comprehensive Land Use Plan (CLUP) of LGUs will soon have a national framework to stand on as we are gearing up for the enactment into law of a National Land Use Plan (NLUP). I have written Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Cayetano Paderanga, who chairs the NLUP Committee, that we will proactively participate in deliberations and consensus-building activities for this purpose.

We are retooling our own key shelter institutions to make them more responsive to the needs of LGUs engaging in housing and urban development and to ensure that LGUs would partner with our private sector stakeholders.
At the same time, I have challenged local chief executives to be more creative in addressing the needs of their low-salaried employees and constituents, specifically by tapping lands in their towns for housing projects. We are in the process of creating a lending window for LGUs that will fast-track the processing of loan applications of developers and home buyers.

Indeed the recurring problem of distant, off-city resettlement is something that we need to address. I have directed a re-assessment of government’s existing resettlement directions and practices in the hope that we can come up with an adequate and sound approach to reducing poverty and a more humane way to handle informal settlers. The results of this reassessment, as well as a new policy direction principally premised on in-city/near-city resettlements and an enhanced distant, off-city alternatives, will be discussed in a stakeholders forum that we will organize pretty soon. I will encourage Karaos, the urban poor groups, the NGOs and people’s organizations to participate in the forum so that relevant and responsive views can be considered in the formulation of a new policy direction.

I will look forward to more of Karaos’ insights and will rely on her continued support in calling civil society groups to partner with the public and private sectors for better housing and urban development programs.

—VICE PRESIDENT JEJOMAR BINAY
chair, Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council

What Happened To E-SWAMP?

It has been two years since the 2 day Barangay Solid Waste Management Workshop held at the PIT Conference Room and Interaction Center on January 15-16, 2008. How time flies, The activity which was in line with the Ecological Solid Waste Management Project (E-SWAMP) of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, the LGU of Palompon and PASAR Foundation, Inc.

Once again the "ningas-cogon" mentality of most Filipino's clearly shows in the result of the project which can be seen if you try to visit the dumpsite. The motto: segregate, re-use, recycle was not evident in the trash being thrown by residents. It can be seen that it was not being segregated, re-used or recycled.

It is evident that the people who should be involved in the said project have not heard or just indifferent to what's happening in their back and front yard. As they say "Kalat Mo, Basura Mo". But this can't be done individually. Someone has to be a conductor, to make a great music. And the most appropriate one to lead the synchronization of all actions should emanate from the LGU unit who represents the people themselves.

Every morning, as I pass by the dumpsite, I noticed the smoke coming from the garbage dump. If the fire was not intentionally set up by either a cigarette butt or a match or lighter, then the only reason fire is emanating from the inside of the dumping ground is methane which result to fire due to the heat wave we are currently having. But El Nino or not the people through the LGU unit, should do something to mitigate the problem the nation is encountering.