Bacolod City Mayor Evelio Leonardia will present to Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo- Puyat a report on the status of the Bacolod tourism industry and the city’s recovery plan to mitigate the adverse effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Leonardia will make the presentation at the Tourism Stakeholders’ Meeting at the Seda Capitol Central tomorrow, January 19, organized by the DOT, a press release from the Bacolod Public Information Office said.
The mayor will also present a report on the public health situation in Bacolod, and the areas of collaboration among the DOT, the city government, and private stakeholders.
Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson is also expected to make a similar presentation for the province of Negros Occidental.
Bernadette-Puyat will arrive tomorrow for a three-day visit to Bacolod and some parts of Negros Occidental from January 19 to 21 to meet with DOT- DOLE beneficiaries under Bayanihan 2, and to conduct a Tourism Stakeholders’ Meeting to discuss the rehabilitation and recovery efforts to restart tourism activities.
She will also visit various farm sites, heritage houses, and food tourism areas in Bacolod City and Negros Occidental to boost domestic tourism and to mitigate the economic impacts of the COVID-19 crisis to the tourism industry.
After the stakeholders’ meeting, there will be a ceremonial turnover of DOT-DOLE financial assistance for displaced tourism workforce.
In anticipation, Leonardia held a meeting with City Hall executives – Acting City Tourism Officer Sandra Ruth Sycip, Councilor Israel Salanga – chair of the Sangguniang Panlungsod Committee on Tourism, Executive Assistant Teresa Manalili, lawyer. John Orola – special consultant on trade, tourism, and investments, and engineer Loben Rafael Ceballos.*