‘Governor Gwen takes a swipe at those who belittle her efforts’
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| During the opening of the fifth tranche of R' Cebu Experience in Robinsons Galleria Cebu, Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia is joined by Deputy Speaker Pablo John Garcia, Department of Tourism Regional Director Shalimar Tamano, Mayors Jose Antonio Pintor of Asturias, Julie Flores of Barili, Cesare Ignatius Moreno of Aloguinsan, Alex Binghay of Balamban, PB Member Victoria Corominas and some tourism officers from the 3rd District of Cebu. (Junjie Mendoza) |
CEBU GOVERNOR Gwendolyn Garcia has been largely credited for reviving the local economy amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
However,
Garcia said her current challenge is not the economy, but dealing with “people
in power who try to stymie her efforts to move on past the pandemic.”
“Perhaps
they are not happy about our success. Perhaps they are bewildered what makes
Cebu tick, when the rest of the country is still mired in doom and gloom. And I
hope that those that are watching outside of Cebu, especially those who have
gotten used to be called the power brokers and the powerful voices, you know
what makes Cebu tick? (It is) The
Cebuanos. The Cebuanos that are creative, innovative and, most of all, possess
in each of our hearts that indomitable will and spirit to succeed,” she said
without identifying any one of those she referred to.
In
February, Garcia
issued Executive Order (EO) No. 9 which eased the travel restrictions for
persons coming to the province and effectively removing the required letter of
acceptance from the local government of destination from the list of
documentary requirements. And followed by another EO No. 12 which no longer
require RT-PCR test for visitors from other provinces. She also met with the members
of the Tourism Task Force and representatives of tour operators, travel
agencies, and airliners, among others, to finalize the guidelines for the re-opening
of the tourism industry.
Also in February, Garcia
rejected recommendations
from several medical consultants of the Department of Health (DOH) to place
Cebu province anew in a lockdown following reports of a “variants of concern”
from Covid-19 patients here.
The governor said she
found it strange that the recommendation came at the heels of her recent
declaration to open tourism to the rest of the country. “Don’t mess with us. We
can take care of ourselves. I will not and never again accept a lockdown. I
will fight for Cebu and the Cebuanos because Cebu is moving on and moving
forward,” Garcia said in a press conference, adding the DOH consultants also
recommended for travel restrictions on Cebuanos – meaning anyone from the
island-province can no longer leave or travel outside of Cebu.
Garcia
said three of the DOH medical consultants whom she did not identify,
recommended for stricter quarantine measure or reverting to the enhanced
community quarantine (ECQ) status for Cebu, or if not, bar Cebuanos from
travelling outside or visiting Manila or other areas at a time when Cebu is
opening up tourism to the rest of the country. “It is really strange though nga
nikalit man lang ni nigawas and these consultants suggesting nga i- lockdown ta
after I made the pronouncement that Cebu province will now open its doors to
domestic tourism including those coming from Metro Manila,” she said.
She
chided the DOH medical consultants for raising the recommendations without
actually seeing the real conditions in the province and even Cebu City, for
that matter. “Ay mo'g pataka dinha pang-rekomendar og lockdown, sayunan lang
mo, no? Wa man gani mo mangrekomendar og lockdown sa mga Metro Manila cities
nga tag-as pud kaayo ang mga positive cases,” she said.
Praises
But
Deputy Speaker Pablo John Garcia and Department of Tourism (DOT) Regional
Director Shalimar Tamano acknowledged Garcia’s effort to jumpstart the local
economy that was devastated by the lockdowns to contain the pandemic by
reopening the tourism industry in August.
“We
believed that integral to Covid-19 response is how to meet the challenge head
on, and how to get our lives and livelihoods back again,” the Deputy Speaker
said during the recent R’ Cebu Exhibit, an exposition that featured various
delicacies, services and tourist spots, among others, in the 3rd District
of Cebu which comprises the towns of
Tuburan,
Balamaban, Asturias, Pinamungajan, Aloguinsan, Barili and Toledo City.
The
lawmaker thanked mayors, vice mayors, councilors and businessmen for supporting
the governor's initiatives. The exposition was held at the Robinsons Galleria.
Tamano
also noticed many new establishments like cafes and restaurants have popped up
in mountain villages, especially in Balamban town, during his recent tour
around the province. “So obviously, the trend now is people want open-air
restaurants. People want open-air cafés. People want glamping,” he said.
Glamping is a portmanteau of “glamorous” and “camping,” and describes a
style of camping with amenities and, in some cases, resort-style services not
usually associated with traditional camping.
“This
is very good news and we really cannot understate the help of the provincial
leadership in opening up tourism in the province. Kita ra gyuy tinuod nga abri sa turismo, walay
daghang gipangita nga dukomento,” Tamano said.
The exposition is a program
of the Cebu Provincial Tourism Office in partnership with Robinsons
Malls and it started in January and has already featured the several districts the
past months.
Balamban
Mayor Alex Binghay said he was surprised by the different products his town has
to offer to the public had it not for the holding of the exhibit. “Nanggawas nang mga produkto sa Balamban,
not only pastries ug
kining mga pagkaon, naa pay furniture. Para nako this is a
good occasion para ma-showcase ang mga produkto sa mga kalungsuran not
only in the third district but all over in the Province because this will make
tourism more, makanindot sad,”
he said.
Robinson
Mall’s senior regional operations manager Floramie Adolfo also thanked the
Provincial Government for partnering with them in the exhibit. “And what makes
it more interesting is for us, it’s also an awareness. Kay daghang mga products
nga wa mi kahibawo nga naa diay sa ani nga lugar, or serbisyo or tourist spots
nga naa diay ni sa kani nga distrito,” she said. (Mylen P. Manto.
Cebu Examiner contributed to this report.)
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