WESCOM continues efforts to protect Palawan tourism industry

ISABELA CITY, Basilan, Sept 16 (PIA) -– The Western Command (WESCOM) continues its effort to protect and strengthen the tourism industry in the entire province by addressing the tourism-related security issues in Palawan.
The 6th Civil Relations Group of the AFP said after conducting a Security Assessment, Validation and Evaluation (SAVE) Tourism forum in El Nido on September 2 and in Narra on September 5, top officials from WESCOM once again gathered resort owners and managers from Puerto Princesa City and the central part of Palawan to discuss ways to strengthen the security of their respective businesses.
“Security is the responsibility of everybody. All stakeholders must take part in addressing this issue. We must be proactive and alert. We must not put our guard down in order to achieve development and peace,” WESCOM Commander LTGen Juancho M. Sabban AFP said on the importance of conducting the forum.
The SAVE Tourism forum aims to help resort and other tourism establishment owners and managers identify problems concerning the security of their businesses and come up with possible solutions to address them.
Owners and managers of tourist attractions in the city, as well as the tourism officers of Puerto Princesa and Roxas on September 9 sat down with WESCOM officials, Philippine National Police (PNP) officers and heads of different agencies concerned with the security of the city to discuss these issues in a forum held at the WESCOM Headquarters.
During the forum, WESCOM Chief of Staff CAPT Rosauro Sarmiento PN stressed the importance of tightening the security measures adopted by the numerous resorts and other tourist attractions found in the city to guarantee the safety of the guests and protect the integrity of their establishments.
CAPT Sarmiento also reminded the owners and managers of these establishments of their responsibility to the safety of the local and foreign tourists and of the importance of their cooperation to the success of this endeavor.
Besides formulating a contingency/security plan for the resorts, the forum attendees were able to create a communication network that would help them relay information faster and more efficient. Should an incident occur, they can now immediately report to hotlines provided by the military (OU2 Hub# 09175769474; Piltel# 433-7825); Provincial PNP (433-4363) and the City PNP (434-9890).
They will also utilize the services of social networking sites, such as Facebook, to communicate (Facebook Page Palawan Save (like) with account number youtwowescom@yahoo.com).
The participants have also decided to conduct a regular meeting after the forum to ensure the success of the forum’s objectives.
City PNP Director P/SSupt Virgilio Parocha also discussed salient points on public safety so that the SAVE Tourism program will have a quick and immediate actions to any incidents.
Though Palawan is relatively peaceful, WESCOM initiated the undertaking of SAVE Tourism security forum to avoid the occurrence of a tourism-related incident that could adversely affect the tourism industry of the province or compromise its security.
Among those who attended the forum with owners and managers of beach resorts are: Amanpulo and the Sheridan beach resorts, representatives from security-concerned agencies like the Civil Aviation Authority Office (CAAO), PNP Aviation Security Group, Special Operations Group (SOG) of Puerto Princesa City and Bantay Puerto.
Representatives of tourist transportation groups, including the Honda Bay Transportation Association and the AIRTODA Puerto also participated in the security forum. (JPA/6CRGAFP/RVC-PIA9 BaSulTa)