By Jigger J. Jerusalem
Correspondent .
MISAMIS Oriental is hopeful it will snatch the prestigious nationwide tourism award next month as the province has made strides in promoting tourism as part of Gov. Yevgeny Vincente Emano’s flagship program, said the provincial tourism officer.
The province is aiming for the Best Tourism-Oriented local government, a distinction that is part of the Pearl Awards being organized by the Association of Tourism Officers of the Philippines and the Department of Tourism (Atop-DOT).
The Pearl Awards were created to acknowledge the best practices of local governments that give premium to development aimed at alleviating poverty through promotion of tourism.
Lawyer Jeffrey Saclot, the head of the provincial tourism department, said winning the Best Tourism-Oriented local government is possible as the province has an advantage that distinguishes it from other contenders.
Speaking to reporters at the sidelines of the closing ceremonies of the provincial tourism week late Friday, Saclot said Misamis Oriental possesses the elements needed to take home the crown.
“One of our edges is that we are now a department, compared to other provinces that still have tourism offices,” Saclot said, adding that being a department would mean having a bigger budget and more resources to further develop existing tourist destinations and discover new ones.
He said the province’s hosting of the annual Atop national convention last year was also a contributing factor since not all provinces have the means to host it because there were a number of factors that were given importance such as the security of the delegates, the facilities, and the tourist destinations where the participants can visit and immerse themselves in.
Although the province is on the top three among the contenders, Saclot said their aim is to win the championship.
For his part, Emano said tourism has been his priority program to promote not just the province’s tourist spots but its various locally made products.
“We must not be ashamed of our products, but instead we must be proud of them, as they can compete with other provinces,” the governor said in a separate interview.
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