BONTOC, Mtn. Prov.– Personnel from the Provincial Tourism Office conducted the Basic Tourism Awareness, Value Chain Analysis on Tourism, and Customer Service seminars for the stakeholders in the municipality of Natonin, Mountain Province last October 9-10, 2019 and in Masla, Tadian, Mountain Province on October 14-15, 2019.
The seminars were in line with the objective of the office to bring tourism awareness and services to the remote municipalities and barangays of the province as the identification and promotion of tourism attractions is being intensified.
Natonin Mayor Jose Agagon, in his message during the opening program, underscored the fact that Natonin is still to take off in tourism. He said that his priority of governance is to see to it that tourism will prosper in the municipality.
It has been cited that tourism will soon flourish as the Barlig-Natonin-Paracelis national road is now being improved. Once this is finished, it will make trips shorter and convenient for commuters from Tabuk and Isabela to Bontoc and vice versa.
“We have to prepare for tourism, to put in place the rules and regulations governing the arrival of tourists, the infrastructure and facilities such as lodging houses and restaurants, and the improvement of our tourist spots”, he said, echoing the sentiments of some stakeholders.
Natonin is a small place with only the Colalading Lodging house offering accommodations and few canteens and café stalls offer respites for visitors and tourists.
The community had a taste of business benefits when the Mountain Province Second District Engineering Office (MPSDEO) located in the town was not yet tragically devastated by a super typhoon a year ago.
It is believed, however, that the businesses will perk up as the construction of new buildings and facilities of the MPSDEO have started in Saliok, a barangay of Natonin.
The basics of tourism as well as the impacts of tourism were shared to the participants during the two-day event. The Value Chain Analysis and Customer Service was also given by Tyronne Glenn Lawey, a staff of the Provincial Tourism Office.
Workshops were also done wherein the participants identified the tourist spots and helped study how to improve these for tourists to patronizee.
A similar activity was conducted in Masla, Tadian for the cluster of Sumadel, Lubon, Masla, Bantay, Batayan, and Duagan (SULUMABABADU) barangays last October 14-15, 2019.
But the Basic Tourism Awareness and Customer Service is just a part as participants will be tutored in a two-week Eco-Tour Guide Training with Basic Life Support sponsored by the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (PDRRMO), the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), Philippine Red Cross-MP Chapter, and the Hoyohoy Mountain Province Mountaineering and Environmental Initiatives, Inc. from October 14-26, 2019.
Tadian Mayor Constito Masweng, in his opening message, emphasized that Tadian is in a very strategic location being the gateway from the Ilocos provinces and near the tourist town of Sagada.
He said that he acknowledged the enormous tasks of the municipal tourism office that he mulls appointing a Municipal Tourism Officer soon.
Robert Pangod, Administrator of the Phil. Red Cross-MP Chapter, said that the training is hoped to result in the identification of the Hoyohoy River for river tracing, the Mount Bangkilat for circuit trails, and the Pey-asan Falls, Ub-ubunan Falls, and the Atey Falls, and others as tourist spots for promotion.
The cluster has many tourist spots aside from those identified above for possible development, improvement, and promotion.
Richard Wong, founder and initiator of the Hoyohoy organization stressed that they were guided by the need for the training of the people to become tourist guides, and to inculcate in them the need to enhance the tourism potentials of Tadian, particularly of the SULUMABABADU cluster.
“To alleviate poverty among the people is our guiding principle in our efforts to promote tourism in this part of Tadian”, the mayor finally said. **Roger Sacyaten
