So that the travel and tourism sector will know…

Letters .

ON April 12, 2018, a certain Mark Francisco, who identified himself as a writer/reporter came to the DOT office in Cagayan de Oro, Region 10 asking for my reaction on a news article where Congressman XJ Romualdo offered Camiguin as a summer destination to be enjoyed while Boracay is closed to the public.

I told Mr. Francisco that we are happy with this effort to promote Camiguin, especially highlighting the cooperation of the local government units (LGUs) and the private sector in this campaign. I even mentioned that this kind of cooperation made the tourism promotion campaign “Feel Camiguin” go viral and become successful. I credited the local production initiated by Congressman Romualdo and the provincial tourism team.

Imagine my shock, my dismay and my terrible disappointment that Mr. Francisco did not even bother to adhere to the basic rules of ethics in reporting. He came out with an article that was totally inaccurate and fabricated – with many statement attributions that I vehemently deny to have said. I consider his action as a deliberately malicious and defames my character and credibility as a public official. The article likewise put the efforts of our DOT team and that of the LGUs and the private sector in peril. We worked hard to attain this growing stature of Camiguin in the tourism map and it is a total disservice to these efforts to publish these blatant lies.

Please allow me to deny, refute and dispute all the statement Mr. Francisco attributed to me, to wit:

1. “Camiguin is no Boracay, so don’t expect much.” The question he posed was: What is the difference between Camiguin and Boracay? My answer was: Camiguin has a different positioning from Boracay. While Boracay is a beach destination with a party atmosphere, Camiguin is a top eco-tourism destination that boasts of sites like the Asean Heritage mountains like the Mt. Timpoong Hibokhibok, waterfalls, cold springs, hot springs, the famous White Island Sand Bar, Mantigue Island Marine Sanctuary and a unique soda water spring among others that can only be found on the island.”

Given that I took pains to emphasize the ecotourism positioning, there was no cause for me to comment that “There are no bars there (Camiguin), there is some nightlife but there aren’t really no DJs there like we do in the night circuit here in CDO.” That would run counter to the charm that ecotourism and natural experience can offer.

2. On his claim that I said “Camiguin doesn’t have much in terms of modern tourist amenities as Boracay has,” what I actually said was “Camiguin is an emerging destination that as yet does not have the number of resorts that a mature destination like Boracay has – especially five star resorts.” He was actually asking how many high-end resorts Camiguin has and I informed him that there are a number of ongoing constructions such as a 200oom high end hotel in Mambajao. I added that though DOT accredited hotels has a combined capacity of 200 rooms, overall, there are over 850 rooms available including homestays. I added that we go as high as 905 rooms.
3. I never said that Camiguin pales in comparison to the millions of visitors that Boracay takes in every year. What I tried to make him understand was that we are adopting a more sustainable way to grow our tourism market by balancing this with the carrying capacity of the island. I specifically mentioned that we want to learn lessons from the Boracay experience and so we want to carefully plan and not overbook so that we can preserve and protect the island’s environment. I even commended the efforts of the local government to implement environmental laws as evidenced by their ordinances banning plastic bags in the business establishments long before the Boracay issue.
4. Mr. Francisco’s allegations that I advised against Congressman Romulado’s invitation is a lie for if he bothered to check, he would have seen that we even shared his article on our Facebook page and my personal Facebook wall to support his invitation for Camiguin.
5. And for consistency, I also did not say that in the “hospitality field, it is one of the best because all the resorts’ staff are well trained” although this is true.

Mr. Francisco’s fabrications left me horrified at how low he can go for his own ends, which up to now I cannot understand. When I asked him why he did this in a telephone conversation, I was appalled when he dismissively said they were just “synonyms” for him, and added that he was just aiming to make a “catchy” headline. Not at our expense, Mr. Francisco.

I hope he realizes how much he trivialized the efforts of these provinces in Mindanao aiming to develop through tourism growth and being challenged by so many issues. We do not need Mr. Francisco to add to our woes. Camiguin promises to be a great destination and his article ran counter to our efforts to position it as such – or maybe we are hoping that his kind of journalism is something discerning people will not even dignify to read.

As a new Director for Region 10, I, together with my office, have exerted maximum efforts to promote Camiguin. In fact, Secretary Wanda Teo has named Camiguin as one of the top tourist destinations in the Philippines upon our recommendation.

For the sake of the truth, fairness, transparency, and journalism ethics, I demand that Mr. Francisco rectify the situation, clear my name and right this injustice done to me and the tourism industry through retraction and public apology.

I would also like to appeal to the media especially in Mindanao to continue being one with us in our concerted efforts to promote tourism in areas where it is much needed. Most of our efforts are done to ensure that there is inclusive growth and the community benefits in the process. Responsible media and reporting play a crucial role in making this happen. –May Salvana-Unchuan, Regional Director, Department of Tourism-10

(Editor’s note: Mr. Francisco is not connected with The Mindanao Gold Star Daily. He however writes for the state news media organization Philippine News Agency [PNA] which is under the Presidential Communications Operations Office [PCOO]. Gold Star buys stories from PNA via subscription.)