00:00The recent slaying of a Slovakian in the internationally-renowned premier beach resort of Baracay has prompted
00:07the Australian government to issue a travel advisory urging Australians to shy away from
00:14trips to the Philippines in the interim, a move which has galvanized the island's LGU,
00:20a sitting house, salon and tourism department into full damage control mode as we hear more
00:26from our Bien Manalo.
00:30The Department of Tourism strongly condemns the killing of a Slovak national in Baracay
00:35recently.
00:36According to the agency, they are already leading the investigation and resolving the
00:41case of the authorities.
00:43In this connection, Aklan's second district representative, Federico Jarezco Jr., has
00:48offered a 100,000 peso reward to anyone who can provide information on the people behind
00:54the killing.
00:56They also promised to do everything in their power to prevent such incident from repeating.
01:01We continue to work with our law enforcement agencies to ensure the continued safety and
01:08security of Baracay.
01:10The tourism department continues to work with the Australian government, this after Australia's
01:15issuance of a travel advisory to the Philippines due to security threats.
01:20The DOT is also working with several government agencies to maintain order in tourist destinations
01:26in the country.
01:27We continue to work with both the Australian government and stakeholders to ensure that
01:34this interest of Australians to the Philippines is sustained.
01:38The Department of Tourism is positive that the revenue or income from the tourism sector
01:43will further grow, especially as summer approaches.
01:47A major contribution to this comes from the domestic tourism, which leads to the whole
01:52Southeast Asia.
01:54We are optimistic of the summer season for the Philippines, especially that our award-winning
02:03and world-class beach destinations continue to garner the interest of the world.
02:09The tourism department and the Commission on Higher Education today signed an agreement
02:13relating to the guidelines for the utilization of the Higher Education Development Fund.
02:19This aims to further strengthen tourism-related educational projects in colleges that build
02:24students' capacity to achieve a sustainable and innovative tourism sector in the Philippines.
02:30This is in accordance with the National Tourism Development Plan, which focuses on strengthening
02:35the tourism sector that will create more opportunities and make a significant contribution to the
02:42growth of the country's economy.
02:43It is to make sure that we implement measures of transparency and accountability in the
02:49utilization of the 40 percent share of CHED in the travel taxes that are remitted by our
02:57fellow Filipinos to TIESA.
03:00The DOT also continues to collaborate with other government agencies in providing skills
03:06training for workers and further strengthening Philippine tourism.
03:10BN Manalo, from the National TV Network, for a new and better Philippines.
