Tiopes disclose on lack of tourist guides in the region

TACLOBAN CITY – The Department of Tourism (DOT) is set to conduct a tour guiding course as a way to encourage more tour guides in the region.

Karina Rosa Tiopes, the DOT regional director, said that there is a need to train and hire more tour guides in the region to address the lack of tour guides, especially now with the reopening of the tourism sector after almost three years of hiatus due to the coronavirus disease(COVID-19) pandemic.

“We lack regional tour guides. Those that we have trained before either left Eastern Visayas to be employed elsewhere (while) others did not renew their accreditation,” she said.
“With this training, we aim to build a new pool of trained, professional regional tour guides,” Tiopes added.

She asked local government units and tour operators to identify and endorse potential trainees.

The tour guide training course will just be a 30-day training though Tiopes have yet to disclose it’s scheduled.

Tiopes said that any individual may take the course as long as they are 18 years old and at least 2nd-year college with training conducted in various approaches such as group dynamics, lecture-discussion, written and practical exercises, technical tour, and research work.

They will also undergo training in Filipino ‘brand of service excellence,’ develop their communication skills, practical application of tour guiding techniques, tourist safety and first aid, familiarization tour, mock tour, industry immersion, and actual tour.

They will also study Philippine history and folklore, environmental concerns and protection, current issues, music and dance, geography including flora and fauna, protocols, etiquettes and social graces, Philippine architecture and heritage sites, among others.

(ROEL T. AMAZONA)

HILONGOS, Leyte– Aiding to curb the effects of the looming El Niño, the DA- Philippine Rural Development Project RPCO 8 provided aid to farmers and their families in Hilongos, Leyte as it turned over the Hilongos Barangay Water Supply Development Project which is now benefitting 14,988 individuals from 13 barangays namely, Baas, Bung-aw, Campina, Concepcion, Imelda, Kanghaas, Kang-iras, Manaul, Paa, Tabunok, Tambis, Tejero, and Sto. Niño.

“Sa kadaghan sa proseso nga gi-again, some people did not believe. Di sila matu-o kung tinuod ban a ni na storya na ang tubig sa Sto. Niño muabot dire sa lungsod. But we pursued ug atong gipadayon. And that’s what brought us here,” Vice Mayor Albert Villahermosa shared, being one of the proponents of this project.

After 10 months of construction, this project marks another milestone for PRDP RPCO 8 and LGU Hilongos as this has been completed eight months ahead of the original target completion date, with a +20.03% variance.

Mayor Manuel R. Villahermosa expressed his warmest gratitude that after surpassing the tedious process for the approval of the said project they still managed to finish it ahead of time.

“This is a big help to the people in their locality who are in need of clean and safe water in their everyday lives. I am filled with so much gratitude to all those behind this project, also to the barangay officials and community members who cooperated during the construction,” he said.

The said project is currently one of the biggest water development projects implemented under the PRDP having a total project cost of P125,936,800.36. This included the construction of three units of intake box, one unit of infiltration gallery, 17 units reservoir, 7.585 kilometers pipelines, and 490 sets of tap stands.

“This project is one of the priority projects of our President who is at the same time the Secretary of the Department of Agriculture. With this, I am happy because this is a result of our unity. That is why, on behalf of the regional office, I would like to thank you all for your help. I am thankful to all who are involved in this project because you made the Department of Agriculture an instrument for the development here in Hilongos,” Dir. Andrew Rodolfo T. Orais, DA RFO 8 Regional Executive Director and PRDP RPCO 8 Project Director expressed.

The PWS project is expected to help improve the farming activities in Hilongos which can lead to increase the income of the families in the area.
Also present in the turnover ceremony was Engr. Jose Albert A. Barrogo, Deputy Project Director of PRDP PSO Visayas Cluster.(PR)

CATARMAN, Northern Samar– The Fraternal Order of Eagles in this province celebrated the 28th Philippine Eagles Week by helping the local coconut farmers increase their produce.

The “Eagles” Eastern Visayas Region 2 led by its Regional Governor James Laniwan recently turned over 1,000 coconut seedlings of the dwarf Catigan variety to 10 farmers associations from different municipalities in the province.

The recipients include the Catarman Producers Cooperative, Inc. and the Hinatad Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Association in the capital town of Catarman; the Bantayan Coconut Farmers Assn. of San Roque town; Makiwalo Organic Farmers Assn. of Mondragon; Moronporon Sumoroy Farmers Assn. and San Isidro Irrigators Farmers Assn. of Bobon; Binglad Farmers Assn., and Oleras Multi-Purpose Cooperative of Laoang; Kilusan ng Pagbabago Pangkabuhayan Farmers Assn. of San Jose; and the Catubig Organic Farmers Assn. in the municipality of Catubig.

A memorandum of agreement between the Eagles, the presidents of the farmer organizations, and the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) was held on June 17 during the club’s anniversary party.

Under the MOA, each beneficiary association will allot one hectare of their tended land to plant the coconut seedlings that they received.

The PCA will then establish a nursery in the allotted lands and buy the harvest of good coconuts from the farmers “based on the prevailing price”.

Northern Samar PCA Provincial Administrator Engr. Renato Dubongco lauded the Eagles for supporting the local coconut industry.

He said coconut farmers need all the support that they can get despite having recovered from the wrath of Typhoon ‘Nona’ in 2015 that drastically damaged the coconut trees in the province.

“The economy in our province largely depends on our production of coconut. Eighty percent of our people benefit – directly and indirectly – from coconut economically,” he said.

The Catigan dwarf coconut variety is expected to start yielding fruits in two years.
On June 16, 1995 then former President Fidel V. Ramos signed Proclamation No. 600 declaring the period from June 15 to 22 of every year as Philippine Eagles Week.

The Fraternal Order of Eagles – Eastern Visayas Region 2 has seven affiliate chapters in Northern Samar that include the Catarman Eagles Club; Ibabaonon Eagles Club; Norsam Eagles Club; Sumoroy Eagles Club; Masarigan Norte Eagles Club; Mandaragit Eagles Club; and the Marig-on Norte Samarnon Eagles Club.

(RACHEL ARNAIZ)