More and more local government units are swooping to Cebu to learn of the Province’s best practices that they can adopt in their respective localities.
This time, officials from two municipalities from the Province of Albay came to Cebu to conduct their benchmarking tour, especially on the tourism and economic programs that has helped make Cebuanos’ lives better.
Camalig Mayor Carlos Irwin Baldo Jr. and Daraga Mayor Carlwyn Baldo, with their respective municipal councils and department heads were treated with an audio-visual presentation of Cebu's best programs and practices while Capitol's department heads were around to respond to the questions raised by the officials.
The Department of Tourism earlier revealed that Cebu recorded 2.7 million tourist arrivals in 2022 when national pandemic restrictions were gradually eased.
Camalig and Daraga are neighbors of the provincial capital Legazpi City, which perennially acquires the biggest share of tourist arrivals in Albay.
The mayors are seeking for ways to also attract a bigger share of the tourists into their LGUs, especially that the newly opened Bicol International Airport is located not in Legazpi but in Daraga.
Gov. Garcia said that this was also her dilemma as a newly minted governor in 2005 when tourists would usually equate Cebu to the metro.
She said that with Capitol’s Suroy-Suroy Sugbo program, however, she “literally forced the tourists into the countryside,” and thus spread the benefits of tourism into the outskirts of the province.
“Marami kaming natutunan from our veteran public servant in Gov. Garcia, and masasabi kong napaka-fruitful ng aming pagpunta,” Camalig Mayor Carlos Irwin Baldo Jr. said in his speech.
The Albay delegation was accompanied by DILG Bicol Region assistant director Jhoaden Lucero, who also served previously as DILG Cebu provincial director.
Board Members Raul Bacaltos (first district), Raymond Joseph Calderon (second district), Mike Villamor (fifth district),
Cesar Baricuatro (seventh district), and Kuya Nick Pepito (PCL president) were also in attendance. | Ioannes P. Arong