Synergy needed to maximize tourism potential as economic tool for growth, DTI-7 says
By Fayette C. Riñen
CEBU CITY, November 14 (PIA) – A synergy is needed among government line agencies to maximize the potential economic growth of tourism as a leading sector in fast tracking national progress through the development of small and medium enterprises (SMEs).
Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) -7 Regional Director Asteria Caberte disclosed this during the 4th quarterly meeting of the Economic Development Committee under the Central Visayas Regional Development Council held recently.
Caberte said the DTI and the Department of Tourism (DOT) are collaborating to make tourism as a tool to further develop small and medium enterprises, an agreement reached during the Tourism Congress in Bohol last June.
The DTI-7 chief said market opportunities are a major factor in the growth of SMEs which tourism is a strategic area where products are introduced in the market. This way, SMEs are ushered to new and larger opportunities as the tourism sector has been identified as a lucrative avenue for growth.
Under the DTI’s ‘One Town, One Product’ (OTOP) Program, the array of products generated by SMEs brings out the best each province or region can offer to the world market,
But Caberte said the collaboration between DTI and DOT is not enough and that “a convergence of services to include the Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources and the Department of Agrarian Reform is needed to exploit the maximum potential of tourism to further develop our SMEs.”
“During our learning workshop in Palawan attended by heads of DTI and DOT in five regions classified as major tourism growth areas in the country, the concern on stable supply of agricultural and marine products for major tourist hotels and resorts cropped up.,” Caberte bared and added that the activity was also attended by top representatives of hotels and resorts of the identified regions.
“Representatives from three major hotels in Cebu lamented that the volume of items needed by their establishments such as fresh flowers or tomatoes and other agricultural and marine products are wanting and they want to know where they can source quality products for these,” Caberte further said.
“There was even one representative of a hotel that asked where they can specifically get pure coconut vinegar,” Caberte said.
Given these types of information, it is not enough that only the DTI and the DOT will collaborate to help in the development of SMEs tapping the tourism sector as a major avenue for the SMEs’ development.
IN order to develop the SMEs, “we need to be in the supply chain as well and that we have to remove the middlemen who are taking advantage of small entrepreneurs,” Caberte said.
“It is only the tourism sector today that posted a positive economic growth as was reported during the recent Philippine Economic Briefing in Cebu and we have to exploit its maximum potential to further develop our SMEs,” Caberte stressed. (PIA-Cebu)
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PNP-7 seize P35M illegal drugs in C. Visayas for past 10 months, this year
By Fayette C. Riñen
CEBU CITY, November 14 (PIA) -- A total worth of P35M in illegal drugs were seized by the police for the past 10 months, this year in Central Visayas with over 1,300 persons arrested, either as pushers or users.
“From January to October, this year, the police have conducted 986 anti-drug operations and arrested 1,329 individuals involved in selling illegal drugs or as plain users,” P/Supt. Melvin Sanchez, chief of the Regional Anti-Illegal Drugs Special Operations Task Group (Raidsotg-7) declared.
Of the total number of persons arrested, 466 were categorized as pushers and 863 were users, this is said.
Marijuana remains the biggest volume of illegal drugs confiscated with 18,963 fully-grown plants followed by 11,244 nubain ampules and third is cocaine with 3,947 grams and lastly, shabu with 882.38 grams, Sanchez reported.
“We have now filed 1,210 cases and they are now in the courts,” Sanchez bared.
Police Regional Office (PRO) -7 Regional Director C/Supt. Marcelo Garbo Jr. meanwhile, said the illegal drug problem needs a holistic approach and that in conducting anti-drug operations, one must not only consider law enforcement but in the judiciary process as well and how strong the case will stand in court.
Garbo expressed that he has noticed personally that some of the anti-drug operations conducted by the police is in violation of PDEA rules and guidelines.
“We do not want cases filed to be dismissed on mere technicality. There is a need to strengthen anti-drug operations based on the manual of operations by both the police and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency in order to professionalize the conduct of anti-drug operations,” Garbo pointed out.
Likewise, police should always make a report or a summary information on the status of illegal drugs confiscated, this is stressed.
Garbo said the police and PDEA should have a united effort in fighting illegal drugs. (PIA-Cebu)