San Remigio hosts tourism officers meeting

CEBU, Philippines - The local government of San Remigio, Cebu has successfully hosted the three-day quarterly board meeting of the Association of Tourism Officers of the Philippines that started last Thursday and will end today.

It was the first time that the ATOP activity was held in Cebu province and it was the task municipality of San Remegio led by Mayor Mariano Martinez to host the event as a way of promoting the town’s tourism to people from other places of the country.

Paterno Muñez, municipal tourism officer, has offered the group to have its activity in San Remigio so they could visit and see the place when he attended the ATOP National Convention in Iloilo City last year.

Martinez together with other local government officials, employees, teachers and students have warmly welcomed the group with the presentation of the San Remegio National High School dance group, which was proclaimed as the grand champion of the town’s recent Lapyahan Festival.

Around 30 ATOP officers led by national president Roselyn Merlin have extended their gifts to Martinez upon their arrival in front of the new and gigantic town hall.

ATOP has been working closely with the Department of Tourism and other tourism-oriented organizations and an active partner of the government in the country’s economic, social and cultural development programs.

One of the main agenda during the board meeting was the finalization of the activities for the upcoming ATOP National Convention to be held on October 1-4, 2009 in General Santos City.

On Thursday, before the arrival of the entire group, at least two of its officers came in advance to conduct seminar on Cultural Awareness and Barangay Tourism among the locals.

Kenneth Benignos, ATOP vice president for the Visayas, has talked on the “Barangay Tourism: Escalante Experience,” being the tourism officer of Escalante City in Negros Occidental. Alphonsus Tesoro, provincial tourism officer of Capiz, also talked on Cultural Awareness for Tourism Development.

The one-day seminar was participated barangay officials, some municipal employees and officials and invited tourism officers of Cebu province.

Yesterday, the group had their tour in the tourist attractions of San Remegio as well as the neighboring town of Bogo, which co-hosted the event. — Gregg M. Rubio/WAB (THE FREEMAN)