THE Department of Tourism in often thought of as the government agency that promotes the Philippines as a tourist destination to the outside world. We measure its success by the millions of tourists who visit our shores every month, often with little regard to the toll that the influx of visitors takes on the communities that host them.
That there are more urgent requirements than the slick commercials that we see on cable TV was brought home recently, when President Duterte described the waters off Boracay—sold to the world as a tropical paradise—as a cesspool.
His warning that he would shut down the entire island if the resorts and community there did not clean up their act has spurred a major effort by the DoT and the departments of Local Government and the Environment to undertake a complete renovation of the island to demolish establishments that were built in violation of environmental laws, build a comprehensive sewage and water treatment facility for the entire island, establish a sustainable flow of tourists onto the island, and train local businesses and workers in practicing sustainable tourism.
But developments since then have brought home the fact that many of the country’s other tourism destinations are in dire need of improvement, too.
The recent account by a prominent broadcast journalist Karen Davila of how a four-star resort and the local government were woefully ill-equipped to deal with injuries that her son suffered in a surfing accident on Siargao Island in Surigao del Norte, strongly suggests that Tourism officials must also ensure that all major tourist destinations have adequate medical facilities to deal with such contingencies.
By Davila’s account, the resort at which she stayed, had put her in touch with instructors who said they could teach her sons how to surf. All seemed well until her son David ran up the beach, his chest bloodied by reef rash, and a gash under the right rib, clearly from hitting the rocks on the shallow waters. The Davilas could find no first aid station or even a lifeguard on duty to help. The boy’s instructor showed them to a sari-sari store that sold Betadine, cotton and gauze—then left the scene.
The owners of the resort offered to take them in a van to the nearest hospital, which was 45 minutes away by car. The municipal hospital, however, did not have any tetanus vaccines that the doctor had recommended.
Later, Davila said, she learned that David’s instructor had not taken him farther out to sea where it was safer for beginners because there were no rocks there. Clearly, she added, the instructor was not trained to teach minors.
To her astonishment, she also learned:
1) That “anybody who surfs in Siargao can train in Siargao.” Some trainers drive motorcycles-for-rent for a living, and train for the extra income. There are no professional certifications, and there is no vetting of trainers.
2) There are no lifeguards on the beach of a destination that is promoted as a surfing mecca.
3) There are no first aid clinics or trained medical personnel on the beach.
Local and national officials have since promised to remedy the situation in Siargao, but what about other popular tourist destinations? Do we really need the President or a broadcast journalist to raise a stink before Tourism officials do their jobs and ensure the health and safety of our visitors—and protect the environment?
The DoT’s mission statement says it is “the primary government agency charged with the responsibility to encourage, promote, and develop tourism as a major socio-economic activity to generate foreign currency and employment and to spread the benefits of tourism to both the private and public sector.” Before the agency does any more promoting, it seems, it ought to first ensure that the destinations we sell to the outside world are properly developed to include the personnel and facilities to keep tourists safe.