Tourism workers affected by natural calamities, disasters,
and emergencies can now avail of financial and training assistance from the
Department of Tourism (DOT) and the Department of Social Welfare and
Development (DSWD).
This, after Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco and
Social Welfare and Development Secretary Rex Gatchalian formally sealed the
Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) on the Bayanihan sa Bukas na may Pag-asa sa Turismo
(BBMT) program on Thursday (Jan. 23). Undersecretaries Shahlimar Hofer Tamano
and Diana Rose Cajipe were also present and served as witnesses. 
This means that qualified tourism frontliners may now avail
of the DSWD’s existing cash assistance programs, including the Emergency Cash
Transfers (ECT) and Cash for Work, while simultaneously receiving the DOT
interventions on alternative livelihood training programs like basic hilot;
candle making; beads and artwork training; basic bread and pastry making; detergent
making; fun farm tour product development; tourism awareness and tourist
reception seminar; community-based kulinarya; and the Filipino brand of Service
Excellence (FBSE), if their usual sources of livelihood have been disrupted by
calamities and emergencies, including those affected by the recent eruption of
Mt. Kanlaon in Negros Occidental.
The partnership seeks potential program participants who can
be disaster-qualified tourism workers listed under the Listahanan 3; other
qualified household beneficiaries under a standardized/unified targeting system
used by the DSWD; other criteria prescribed in other disaster risk reduction
guidelines that will be promulgated in the future; resident workers in tourism
destinations or attractions; members of a community-based tourism organization
or beneficiaries jointly approved by the DSWD and DOT; or may be affected by
calamities or emergencies that disrupted their livelihood as tourism service
providers.
“I'm so grateful to Secretary Rex Gatchalian and to the
entire team of the DSWD for the culmination of months of coordination that will
benefit thousands of tourism workers across the country,” Secretary
Frasco said in her speech during the signing ceremony held in Pasay City.
“Tourism is such a reliable source of livelihood and a
reliable pillar of our economy that notwithstanding climate-related disasters,
it can continue to provide a source of employment and income. And what the
partnership with the DSWD will do is that it will capacitate the DOT as well to
come in and to provide the assistance that's necessary for them to go on with
their lives and continue to have sources of livelihood,” she
emphasized, noting that the partnership is just the beginning of more
collaborations with the DSWD.

“Through this partnership, we can also see where national
government funding goes– that there is a concrete demonstration of the result
of the government interventions given to our tourism workers. In the DOT, we
are committed to continuing to uplift the lives of Filipino tourism workers all
over the country and to capacitate them with skills that will ensure that
tourism continues to be a positive force in their lives and the transformation
of the quality of lives of their families,” she added.
For his part, Secretary Gatchalian said that this
partnership ensures “that the marginalized, those affected by natural
calamities, or those with a greater poverty issue,”, are directly impacted by
the financial capacities of the DSWD: “I would like to express our gratitude
to the Department of Tourism for this groundbreaking partnership that will help
our dedicated workers in the tourism industry. The tourism sector is undeniably
a cornerstone of our economy. The tireless efforts of our tourism workers have
played a crucial role in showcasing the beauty of the Philippines. However,
because of the recent disasters that hit the country due to national calamity
and natural and manmade hazards that were further aggravated by the effects of
climate change, it is unfortunate to witness the devastating impacts of
calamities in our poor communities. Part of these communities that are directly
affected whenever we have disasters are the workers in the tourism center since
their families, homes, and properties are not the only ones that are affected,
but also their way of life.”
“We are very excited that this partnership is a synergy
of your vision with our mandate and making sure that we efficiently use
government resources to reach as many communities to help as to many distinct
communities there are in the country. In response, the DSWD is proud to partner
with the DOT to implement the Bayanihan sa Bukas na may Pag-asa sa Turismo” or
the BBMT,” he added.
Last May 27, 2024, both Secretaries attended the pilot run
of the BBMT to give financial and training assistance to the victims of
widespread flooding in several areas of the Davao Region and Agusan Del Sur in
the Caraga region in early February 2024. The ceremony was held in Mati City,
Davao Oriental.
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