Cops told to secure tourists

Police Regional Office-7 chief of the regional operations and plans division S/Supt. Carmelo Valmoria has issued a directive to city and provincial police directors and other support units to ensure the protection of tourists in their respective areas of responsibility.

An e-mail from an unidentified Korean to the Correspondence Office in Malacañang asked for protection for Koreans visiting the country allegedly from moneymaking schemes of some local policemen.

Accordingly, Koreans who are in the Philippines either as residents or tourists, fall victims to different incidents of swindling, extortion and harassment involving policemen.

Based on records from the Department of Tourism, Koreans dominate the number of tourists coming here from different countries, posting a growth rate of 22 percent in the first five months of 2006 with 225,254 arrivals.

However, Valmoria in his memorandum said that efforts cannot be sustained to achieve maximum arrivals of not only Korean tourists if their safe stay in the country is not assured.

Cebu Police Provincial Office chief, S/Supt. Vicente Loot has already transmitted the directive to town police stations. - Gregg M. Rubio