Steadfastly working with his head down, despite persistent rumors that he would be replaced in his present position due to the poor performance of GMA in Bulacan, his "area of electoral responsibility" where he once reigned supreme and where his political star started to shine when he was governor, Obet has indeed made a good account of himself in his first 100 days as Tourism head.
Our research showed that the Department of Tourism has remarkably achieved high increases in visitor arrivals during this period. There was an increase of 45.19 percent for February to May compared to the same period a year ago with May posting the highest increase in arrivals at 75.66 percent. Of course the arrival of journalists and observers for the country’s elections may have made up a lion’s share of the figures. But then cumulatively, visitor arrivals for the first five months of the year increased by 31.37 percent on a year to date comparison.
Upon inheriting the reins of the tourism portfolio from now senator-elect Richard "Dick" Gordon, who has always been known for his gung ho style, many doubting Thomases were saying that Obet may be filling shoes bigger than his feet, forgetting in the process that he was first and foremost a top-notched marketing man of Unilever, a top consumer company before humbling in the Bulacan gubernatorial polls the very popular and well-loved comedian, the late Bert "Tawa" Marcelo.
For his part Secretary Obet also did his homework after leaving the Department of Agrarian Reform to change gears and embark on a selling mission to the world to increase visitors to the country by complementing his predecessor’s trademark WOW Philippines campaign with the "Ganda ng Pilipinas, Galing ng Pilipino" promotions focusing on the country’s natural beautiful attractions and rich and colorful history and culture.
To popularize the campaign the nation’s outstanding talents and artists in the likes of Lea Salonga, Sharon Cuneta, Freddie Aguilar, Rico Puno, Rey Valera, the Apo Hiking Society, Jolina Magdangal, Ogie Alcasid, Francis Magalona and many more, were tapped to sing ‘Biyahe Tayo", a song highlighting the beauty, cuisine, culture and attractions of the Philippines.
The perception that our country is mired deep in peace and order concerns is one of the major drawbacks of the tourism thrust. Obet hopes that the media would help in dissipating this scenario by not sensationalizing news reports on violence, crime and the like, making our country appear to the world that pick up these stories in the Internet, a dangerous place to be, which it really isn’t as perceived through these news items, the same reference for travelers’ advisories released by some countries to their citizens.
As reported in the papers, efforts are also being exerted to quell this perception for visitors already in the country by way of deploying tourist policemen in areas frequented by tourists. They are not only there to create an image of safety for our visitors, they are also especially trained to attend to the needs of tourists.
What was also discussed in our on-camera chat with the enduring Tourism Secretary is the irony of our local tourists finding it more practical to visit and take their vacations in neighboring countries in the region rather than see our local sights. The basic reason for this is cost. Our hotel and resorts rates are more expensive. And Obet recognizes this problem and traces it to the high occupancy level that the country is currently enjoying in the face of few hotels and resorts to service it. It is indeed a fact that the tourism and hospitality industries are sectors for investments worth looking at presently. He also adds that investment incentives have also been laid out by the government, like tax holidays, in order to encourage new business ventures in these fields.
Another concern raised was the observation of some tourists that most of our hotels and resorts all over the country, although charging five-star rates are not living up to five-star standards as far as facilities and even service are concerned. To this, our top-ranked Cabinet member who candidly professed that he would rather have an elected position over an appointed one remarked that measures are already in the pipeline to address this issue of improving present facilities and adding new ones. He also espoused the idea of bringing back to life the "hotel university" that we used to have where personnel wanting to work for the hospitality industry were trained on the basics and rudiments of providing services. At this point I ventured to introduce the idea of having a government-created school that can give similar training for free to deserving aspiring students. The scholarships can be handed out with corresponding contracts that the student upon finishing whatever course should work in the country’s hospitality industry for a specified number of years.
There were a lot more discussed regarding the status of tourism in the country during the exclusive interview, which you may watch in its entirety next Wednesday, Aug. 18, on Breaking Barriers on IBC TV-13 at 11 o’clock in the evening.
In a nutshell, tourism, like our export of manpower, can help further boast our economy and can even be the nation’s number one earner and put food in our plates without our mothers, fathers, husbands, wives, brothers or sisters even leaving our shores.
Mabuhay!!! Be proud to be a Filipino.
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