Department of Tourism (DOT) Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco underscored the important role of local government units (LGUs) in advancing sustainable tourism and community development during her keynote address at the 2024 League of Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP) Visayas Island Cluster Conference.

In her speech, Secretary Frasco expressed deep appreciation to the Visayas local chief executives. “I would like to thank the League of Municipalities of the Philippines for your continued dedication to local governance, which contributes greatly to the collective progress of our nation. As a former mayor myself, I have seen firsthand the importance of ensuring that the voices and needs of our municipalities are always front and center in the national consciousness. This experience continues to fuel my advocacy for national policies and programs to prioritize local concerns, aligning them with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s national vision for sustainable tourism development,” said Secretary Frasco, reflecting on her tenure as a three-term mayor of Liloan, Cebu.

The DOT’s efforts, aligned with the National Tourism Development Plan (NTDP), particularly in Visayas, focus on enhancing connectivity, convenience, and quality in tourism services.

Secretary Frasco celebrated the Visayas’ significant role in national tourism with Central Visayas, Western Visayas, and Eastern Visayas accounting for 44% of tourist arrivals, welcoming over 2.45 million tourists in 2023. The region also contributed over 20% to the domestic tourism portfolio, recording more than 9.67 million overnight travelers.

The tourism chief lauded the Visayas LGUs for their innovative tourism infrastructure proposals, presented through the Tourism Champions Challenge (TCC), a collaborative initiative with TIEZA launched at last year’s LMP National General Assembly. She spotlighted the winning municipalities from the region, including Tubigon, Bohol for its volcanic plug; Badian, Cebu for its community tourism facility; Silago, Southern Leyte for its eco-heritage museum; Victorias City, Negros Occidental for its birdwatching site at Gawahon Ecopark; and Panay, Capiz for its coastal infrastructure project.

The LMP, established under Section 496 of the Local Government Code of 1991 (RA 7160), serves as a platform for addressing municipal governance issues in partnership with the national government. Its efforts focus on supporting municipalities and advancing nation-building.

Held at EDSA Shangri-La, the three-day conference gathered Visayas local chief executives to discuss governance priorities under the theme, “Sustainable Development: Creating Smart Communities Through Localization of the SDGs by Municipal Governments.”

“This conference is proof of our faith in collaboration. Let us take these few days while we are away from our daily grind in our municipalities to reinforce our commitment to LMP, our commitment to each other as partners in progress,” LMP National President and La Paz, Abra Mayor Joseph Bernos shared in his opening message read by LMP Secretary-General and Barcelona, Sorsogon Mayor Cynthia Falcotelo-Fortes.

DOT Undersecretary Ferdinand Jumapao and Assistant Secretary Ronald Conopio, both from Cebu, also participated in the conference.

The conference features messages of support, panel discussions, and presentations on the different SDGs including no poverty, zero hunger, good health and well-being, and sustainable cities and communities.

Senator Christopher “Bong” Go, Congressman Rodante Marcoleta, and Congresswoman Camille Villar also delivered messages of support during the conference. LMP President Emeritus Chavit Singson and Congresswoman Richelle Singson made presentations on jeepney modernization.