Tourism in Bohol and Siquijor

I used to think that tourism would not really benefit the country. I came to this conclusion based on what I saw in the 1980s in my hometown of Dalaguete, southeastern Cebu, where a large part of what everybody used to call the Argao Beach Club was located in the northernmost coastal barangay of our town, Casay. Would you say Casay Beach Club? No, a marketing guru might say. He would say “Argao Beach Club” sounds better and this is what foreign tourists would easily remember. And so Argao Beach Club was its name despite the protestations of the people of Dalaguete.

What I saw at the Argao Beach Club then was that foreign tourists just came and went. Once they were inside the club, they would not venture outside anymore to see more of Dalaguete or Argao or to buy something out of which the locals could make some money. After one or two days, they would just go back to Cebu Plaza Hotel in the city to wait for their flight home after one or two days at the hotel and a night or two at the nearby gambling casino (now closed). Cebu Plaza then was the largest of the Fonacier-owned chain of hotel and resorts together with the Argao Beach Club in Dalaguete, Tambuli Beach Club in Mactan Island and Bohol Beach Club in Panglao Island.

However, I realized later that tourism need not be bad if tourists would circulate more in places that they visit or at least stay in locally-owned small facilities like the ones in Moalboal town that became popular in the 1980s. In Moalboal, not only are local jobs created, profits from the operation of locally owned facilities which also procure much of their supplies locally remain in the town, thus benefiting the locals. Moreover, unlike in Argao Beach Club, the beach in Moalboal was not exclusive for foreigners. Local tourists merged with them which allowed for more interaction and better appreciation and understanding of each other’s culture.

After what I saw in Moalboal and what I am seeing today in the city, I am convinced that tourism is actually good if properly planned and directed at the creation of more local jobs not only in big foreign-owned hotels but also in many other local business establishments catering to the needs of tourists. Now I am for more tourism, the reason I accepted the challenge of heading Think 7, a newly organized body of media people who were asked by the Regional Director Rowena Montecillo of the Department of Tourism in Central Visayas to help promote tourism in the region.

I mentioned here previously that I went to Tagbilaran City for some meetings and rested for the night at one of the resorts in Panglao in Bohol province. I said the City of Tagbilaran is growing fast, largely because of tourism businesses in Bohol. But the problem is this. In the last Global Competiveness Index released by the World Economic Forum, the Philippines was reported to have moved 10 places higher due to its perceived improved governance and macroeconomic stability under the new Aquino government. In the ranking, we could have placed higher if not for our deficiency in infrastructure.

I looked at what infrastructure we were deficient in. I saw, for one, that there is congestion in our seaports. Then I remember what I noticed when I went to Bohol. Terminals at the port in Cebu and especially in Tagbilaran are too small to handle the growing traffic. They are congested and not up to the standard expected by foreign visitors. Add to this the messy airport terminals Manila and even in Mactan, and I would not be surprised why we are still very much behind in our global competitiveness ranking despite the 10 places that we gained in the last report made by the WEF.

Two Wednesdays ago, I was in the Regional Development Council sub-committee on power meeting where Acting National Economic Development Authority Regional Director Efren Carreon presented the power situation in Siquijor. He said tourism in Siquijor is doing well as shown by figures of tourist arrivals last year and the first half of this year. People in Siquijor, especially the business sector engaged in tourism, were bothered by the inadequate supply of power, Carreon reported. Then he showed us pictures of the airport of Siquijor. Its runway was short and narrow and looked like a barangay road to me. Then he showed a picture of the terminal building. This was no way to attract tourists in Siquijor. The building was dilapidated and its ceiling was ready to collapse. Well, I said in the meeting, “At least if the tourists land in Siquijor by private plane from Dumaguete City or Cebu they will have something to see and talk about upon landing.”

Can the Department of Transportation and Communication please do something about the Siquijor airport? Why talk only of the proposed Panglao Airport or the building of a new terminal building in Mactan? Siquijor needs an airport too even if only for small planes. And mind you, Siquijor is not lacking in attractions. Its natural and unspoiled white beaches rival that of Panglao. And while Bohol is known for its big- eyed tarsiers, Siquijor is known for its magic or tightly guarded secrets. I do not want to mention it here but I am sure you also want to know if it is true. If you are interested, go to Siquijor.