TACLOBAN CITY – Eastern Visayas joined this year’s Seatrade Cruise Global in Miami, Florida, USA which ended on Thursday (April 11).

Seatrade Cruise Global is an annual gathering and the leading cruise industry exhibition and conference and the world’s largest event for cruise line executives and suppliers of cruise services.

This annual event is attended by more than 10,000 individuals from the cruise industry all over the world, and showcasing more than 600 exhibitors from more than 120 countries.
Eastern Visayas has been part of the cruise tourism since 2013 when MV Europa Cruise Line, by German-based Hapag-Lloyd Cruises, visited the island of Kalanggaman in Palompon, Leyte.

From a lone cruise ship destination, the number has increased since then, adding more places in the region in cruise call itineraries, mostly island destinations.

Included in these cruise destinations are Capul and Biri Islands in Northern Samar, Limasawa in Southern Leyte, Cuatro Islas in Leyte, Maripipi and Sambawan Island in Biliran province, and Canigao Island in Leyte province.

Tacloban City and Palo in Leyte, and Padre Burgos in Southern Leyte are also part of cruise destinations.

“We are promoting the existing cruise destination in Eastern Visayas plus two new ones,” DOT Regional Director Karina Rosa Tiopes said when asked how important for the region in participating international cruise events.

Tiopes said that during this event, Philippine cruise tour operators sell local destinations to the cruise companies that make cruise calls in Asia.

Cruise ships that visit the region offer expedition cruises. These have smaller vessels with a capacity of less than 1,000 guests and crew and cater to the high-end market.

“They have guests who are willing to pay for shore excursions that offer authentic immersion activities that allow them to learn and appreciate the culture, heritage, history, way of life, and the natural wonders of a destination. They prefer places that are below the tourist radar,” the tourism official explained.

The arrival of cruise ships not only helps in promoting the region to the international market but also indirectly promotes the region to the local and domestic tourist market.
“This opens a vantage opportunity for the region to develop tour programs and promote destinations that are off the beaten track. Most of these places are hardly visited by even local tourists. However, when cruise ships visit, the local and domestic tourist market becomes curious. Ultimately, they start visiting these places as well,” Tiopes said.

To keep cruise ships continue visiting and making port calls to the region, the tourism department in the region is always on the lookout for new sites to offer for cruise tour companies to market.

Tiopes said that they are not particularly looking for developed beach areas but more on quaint places where foreign guests may rest and enjoy but must also have facilities like comfort rooms.
(ROEL T. AMAZONA)

TACLOBAN CITY -In its ongoing commitment to provide essential services to the public, the Philippine Statistics Authority and the local government unit of Burauen and its local civil registry office facilitated the issuance of certificates of live birth (COLBs) on security paper to 89 additional beneficiaries through the Birth Registration Assistance Project (BRAP).

The distribution of the birth documents to the beneficiaries were led by PSA Regional Director Wilma Perante and Mayor Juanito Renomeron.

Mayor Renomeron expressed his gratitude to the PSA for implementing BRAP in their municipality, which he said greatly benefited his constituents who were previously unregistered.

Regional Director Perante also extended her appreciation to the municipal local register for their invaluable cooperation with BRAP teams in facilitating the registration process for those constituents, emphasizing the importance of birth registration and highlighting BRAP’s flexibility in waiving requirements, particularly for late registrations, as stipulated in PSA Memorandum Circular 2022-15.

BRAP, with a focus on the most economically disadvantaged individuals, aims to ensure the registration of all Filipino births in Local Civil Registry Offices and their enrollment in the PhilSys National Identification System, particularly targeting marginalized communities such as Indigenous Peoples and Muslim Filipinos.
(LIZBETH ANN A. ABELLA)

TACLOBAN CITY-OIC District Engineer Rebecca G. Yuse, accompanied by the OIC Chief of Construction Section, Engr. Rhea Perez, and Chief of Quality Assurance Section, Engr. Reynaldo De Guzman, conducted a thorough site inspection of the Magsaysay Boulevard Shore Protection Project. The project, now in its third phase, is rapidly nearing completion, boasting an impressive 95% progress rate.

With a contracted amount of P55,021,170.05, allocated under the General Appropriations Act of 2023, the Magsaysay Boulevard Shore Protection Project represents a crucial investment in enhancing coastal resilience.

Comprising 203.20 lane meters of stone masonry, the endeavor aims to fortify the area against coastal erosion and other environmental hazards.

Originally slated for completion within 229 calendar days, the project has remained steadfast in its timeline.

During her inspection, OIC District Engineer Rebecca G. Yuse expressed satisfaction with the project’s advancement, emphasizing its strategic importance in safeguarding coastal communities and vital infrastructure.

In a statement regarding her assessment, OIC District Engineer Rebecca G. Yuse remarked, “The Magsaysay Boulevard Shore Protection Project stands as a beacon of resilience, poised to bolster the region’s defenses against environmental challenges.” (PR)