LIVE: The Department of Tourism Central Visayas and the Cebu Provincial Government
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my heart song and let me sing forever [Music] [Music] i love it [Music] so [Music] my [Music] won't [Music] [Music] is [Music] my shedding [Music] how [Music] my [Music] is [Music] my you tell me [Music] i [Music] uh [Music] [Music] is [Music] isn't she lovely [Music] oh i'm so happy [Music] is [Music] did [Music] is [Music] lovely [Music] oh isn't she [Music] [Music] so [Music] so [Music] so [Music] we acknowledge the arrival of incoming dot secretary christina garcia frasco [Music] hey [Music] so [Music] so [Music] um [Music] [Music] do what's happening [Music] [Music] foreign [Music] come here [Music] oh [Music] uh [Music] [Music] so [Music] now [Music] comfortable [Music] so [Music] my [Music] so [Music] [Music] so [Music] [Music] [Music] so [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] foreign [Music] all what [Music] [Music] foreign [Music] so [Music] um [Music] [Music] that's pretty cool [Music] so [Music] go go [Music] so [Music] [Music] together with incoming tourism secretary christina garcia frasco [Music] oh [Music] [Music] oh [Music] [Music] [Music] oh [Music] oh [Music] my [Music] oh [Music] oh [Music] oh [Music] good evening let's all please stand for the prayer to be led by reverend father bryan brigoli and after that please remain standing for the singing of the philippine national anthem and subbu him in the name of the father and of the son and of the holy spirit amen dear lord you are our almighty and eternal father our all-provident god we are gathered as a community of faith in praising and thanking you for the many favors and blessings you rendered to us because of your graciousness and kindness though unworthy we are and yet you are mindful of us you journey with us in all aspects of our lives we are always there dear lord we acknowledge our giftedness the very gift of person of who we are today the gift of bountiful opportunities especially of being of service to others use our hands to be your hands outstretched in generosity to others use our minds to be your mind intending only for the good of others use our hearts to be your heart beating only towards compassion to others dear lord you called us to be your stewards of all the things that are good true and beautiful you entrusted to us the care of your flock to be good to be good shepherds to all whom you call to be your own we are gathered today in your name to give you thanks for the gift of human authority and governance as a tool for public service and welfare for all so also to invoke your kind mindfulness in particular for the pride of cebu the gift of the person of the incoming dot secretary and mayor christina garcia frasco to assist with your spirit of counsel and fortitude as she furthers her journey of revocation in public service we also pray for the light of your divine wisdom to grant upon her and that she may be directed in accordance to your divine plan and will we pray to you with humble hearts for lord and god so your only begotten son our lord jesus christ who lives and reigns with you and with the holy spirit forever and ever amen senior santo nino have mercy on us our lady of guadalupe pray for us pray for us the name of the father and of the son and of the holy spirit amen [Music] [Music] here [Music] [Music] no [Music] foreign [Music] oh [Music] [Music] nice [Music] so [Music] please remain standing as we request incoming tourism secretary christina garcia frasco to kindly proceed to the center of the stage for the blessing to be officiated by monsignor robin labajo vicor vicar general of the archdiocese of cebu [Music] the lord be with you all that god has created and sustains all the events he guides and all human works that are good and have a good purpose prompt those who believe to praise and bless the lord with hearts and voices he is the source and origin of every blessing brothers and sisters we are gathered here today to pray for our sister incoming d.o.t secretary christina frasco as she embarks on a new level an endeavor of public service by our prayers she will be able to dispose properly and prudently her position and work and work all for the glory of god and his church by this celebration we proclaim our belief that all things work together for the good of those of you and love god we are sure that in all things we must seek the help of god so that in complete reliance on his will we may in christ do everything for his glory please let us pray almighty and eternal god you have revealed your glory to all nations god of power and might wisdom and justice through you authority is rightly administered laws are enacted and judgment is decreed assist with your spirit of counsel and fortitude our incoming secretary of the department of tourism christina frasco whom we sent off today to take on her seat of public service that her work may be conducted in righteousness and be imminently useful to your people over over whom she serves may she encourage due respect for virtue and religion may she observe the laws with justice and mercy may she seek to restrain crime vice and immorality may she be enabled by your powerful protection to discharge her duties with honesty and ability may she be blessed in the knowledge and sanctified in the observance of your holy law and may she be preserved in union with and that peace which the world cannot give we pray to you who are lord and god forever and ever hail mary full of grace the lord is with you blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb jesus may god who is blessed above all bless you in all things through christ so that whatever happens in your life will work together for your good and may almighty god bless you incoming secretary dot secretary christina frasco the father the son and the holy spirit amen [Applause] [Music] first let me acknowledge our dignitaries and guests tonight the first woman governor of cebu governor gwen garcia also joining us tonight senator elect jv ejercito incoming dot secretary mayor christina garcia frasco [Music] fifth district congressman duke frasco second district congressman elect edsel dalios and civil city south district congressman elect abu rama also joining us city lone district congressman elect cindy chan our board members are also here from the first district board member you lead from the third district board member jimbo borgonia and board member victoria coromina from the fourth district board member kiri shimura from the 5th district board member andre duterte and board member elect mike williams from the 6th district board member glenn anthony circle [Music] we acknowledge also the presence of latvilla proceeding mayor ahong-chan the regional director of the department of tourism director shelimer hofer tamano department of trade and industry regional director maria elena arbor [Music] our director of the public information office philippine coast guard commodore innocential rosario jr philippine air force lieutenant general conor anthony candles the general manager of the maktan cebu international airport general manager julius neri jr [Music] consul general of japan hiriki yamaji [Music] the principal general of china jaya lee the consul general of south korea simon song honorary council of belgium anderson benedicto honorary council of italy francesco gudicelli honorary council of romania grand benedicta honorary council of spain antoine perdieses honorary council of switzerland matthias burgunder [Music] honorary council of the usa glenn liu [Music] our tourism stakeholders are also present the president of jay park island resort and rotor pride justin vice president of sm prime holdings incorporated miss marisa fernand our travel and tour operators associations in cebu represented by the following margie fernanda mall travel and tour operators hotel and resort owners in cebu transport operators airline companies civil city tourism commissioners dop central visayas staff we also acknowledge monsignor and reverend father brian brigley of the archdiocese of cebu the society of jesus father joe kilom and guests from other industries [Music] the best island in asia cebu proves to be a place that stays in the hearts and minds of travelers from all over the world the island enjoys the prestige of being a top tourist hub in the country in 2019 philippine tourism statistics showed that cebu accounts for more than 20 of both domestic and international tourist arrivals in the country this is even higher in the previous years cebu contributes to more than 50 percent of the 50 billion tourism industry in the region muktan singhu international airport which is the second busiest airport in the country caters to almost 600 international flights and 1 500 domestic flights every week before the pandemic in 2020 international travel magazine conde nast has declared cebu and the visayas island as the best islands in asia beating the likes of sri lanka or kopaman in thailand even palawan shargao and burakai in the philippines it is because this island of 44 towns six component cities and three highly urbanized cities have so much to offer aside from beach and island hopping scuba diving cebu also caters to sports enthusiasts in adventure tourism wildlife pilgrimage and spiritual tourism educational tourism medical tourism health and wellness tourism farm and countryside tourism and most of all cultural and heritage tourism but in the early 2020 the horrible news of a novel coronavirus pandemic began travels were banned businesses closed farmers have no one to deliver their fresh produce fishermen hung their nets and paddles resorts could no longer pay their employees but cebu officials who had more foresight than fear of the pandemic refused to be defeated in july of 2020 cebu was the first in the country to decide to slowly open up tourism activities governor garcia signed executive orders that put in place the safety protocols and guidelines to be followed by every tourism establishment and use a two-pronged approach science and technology alongside traditional methods and health regimen to boost the immune system since the relaunch of tourism activities resorts were able to hire back their workers fishermen and farmers went back to work so they could supply the establishments with food both men tour guides and the transport operators resumed ushering tourists livelihoods are back but that wasn't enough in a bold and brave move governor garcia was the first local chief executive in the country to junk the rt pcr test for travelers coming to cebu and give way to a less hassle travel as she decided to open up cebu to the rest of the country but as if the impact of the pandemic wasn't enough cebu was once again stalled by another challenge when super typhoon odette came and devastated the whole province governor garcia responded swiftly to help the affected sectors aside from post-calamity rehabilitation efforts to help the general population the governor also addressed the problems of the hospitality industry whose establishments were destroyed she expanded the enhanced countryside development which initially helped farmers get quick loans with low interest with the expanded program affected tourism players were able to seek financing from government banks to fund their recovery efforts no time is wasted shortly after the country lifted the quarantine mandate for international travelers in february 2022 governor garcia immediately met with the council officials of japan china and south korea airline and travel companies for the resumption of the direct flights from these countries to cebu to drive hotel occupancy and perk up much needed spending this premier province and the best island in the pacific has shown to the rest of the country and the world that we have moved on and are moving forward we not only survived we prevailed that is why cebu is number one that is why cebuanos are proud people because we always lead the way tonight as we celebrate cebu tourism with all its challenges and triumphs we also welcome a new chapter in cebu's distinction as a country's premier tourism model as we welcome the incoming tourism secretary our very own mayor christina garcia fresco [Music] if history has taught us it is here in cebu where it all starts [Music] and now to formally welcome all of us is central visayas tourism regional director shalimar hofer tamano [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] foreign governor glenn garcia mayor christina garcia frasco senator jvrsito congressman vincent franco dope frasco congressman emery lollipop owan dijon congressman cynthia cindy chan congressman edward rama congressman gallios mayor hong chan my friend mayor john john garcia cebu provincial board members consul general glue of china consul general hideki amaji of japan consul general sewan song of south korea our honorary councils our partners in the industry from the accommodation sector travel trade sato including the tourist guide association transport sector including the airline industry dive medieval medical tourism esl english a second language filipino martial arts or arnis mcia and gmcac the civil provincial tourism task force numbers the cebu city tourism commission the cebu chamber of commerce and industry mall operators and other business leaders friends from the media our partner clergy from the archdiocese of cebu and basilica minoru del santo nino and the society of jesus and our d07 regional office staff and everyone present tonight [Music] we have gone through so much in the past three years which we continue to handle very well and the effects of typhoon which are still felt now and even more in the months to come in spite of that here we are stronger more resilient and even celebrating what we have achieved through hard work grit and of course divine intervention in 2019 when tourism was at its peak 8.2 million foreign tourists visited the philippines 4.5 million came to central visayas
and 3 million of those stayed in cebu we have the most products in terms of natural resources outdoors culture history pilgrimage education tourism esl medical tourism and so on we have limitless opportunities for expansion and with the continuous development of public and private infrastructure we know that indeed cebu is the center of gravity in philippine tourism so we here represent the leaders of the tourism industry of the island and of the country as well and it is us both government and private players who made this happen and will continue to lead the way a few weeks ago we all heard about the very good news when president-elect marcus announced our new dot secretary one of our own immediately my staff and i began receiving messages and calls from well-meaning co-workers stakeholders and friends from all over the country and from our dot foreign offices worldwide all expressing gratitude to the president and relaying their sincerest intentions to meet our incoming secretary in cebu all of our stakeholders expressed the same eagerness to meet and hit the ground running that is why we would like to thank our good governor for partnership partnering with us in doing this event and thank you mayor christina garcia frasco for gracing this most important timely and memorable meeting d-o-t-7 my team for gathering everyone here tonight and the cebu provincial governor offices team members for all the support and assistance on that note on behalf of my office i welcome all of you to this evening's affair thank you so much [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] oh oh oh foreign more [Music] [Music] whoa oh foreign oh [Music] the university of cebu dance company the first to speak is the lady representing the travel and trade sector she owns destination specialist cebu i began for miss marget fernanda [Music] governor gwen garcia mayor christina frasco congressman duke frasco ladies and gentlemen good evening ever since i knew christina she has always been a force to be reckoned with tibu is definitely privileged to have you in this new role where we are put we are sure you will put the philippines even higher on a higher mass visit destination in behalf of the tour operators and travel agents we assure you of all our support and cooperation all the best to the secretary to you secretary christina congratulations on you on your new appointment we are very proud of you thank you [Music] [Music] [Music] so also joining us tonight is the [Music] congresswoman of the long district of mandalay city congresswoman lollipop oano disorn [Music] here's another message representing the accommodation sector he owns jay park island resort and water park mr justin ue [Music] good evening governor good evening mayor christina the duplicate of our governor i don't have any speech prepared but i'm speaking from my heart i think three weeks ago when bbm announced that the pure c1 will be our dot head i think i said to myself this is a very good omen because not only christina is pure sibuana but she have a mud an iron lady mother to lead the strong d.o.t by the way you have a very good staff be down below you they just need a very strong leader to give them more efficiency better work but your rd here is somebody who never tired even on holidays is up there to promote the philippines and this is not only a visayas team this is a national team we as a private sector we have to work together in my business i'm known for mango i've been traveling for 40 years to all over the world i've seen how thailand grow in the 17th thailand tourism currency export is just same as philippines today thailand export and tourism is five times bigger than philippines you can imagine that i've seen vietnam in 2005 i went there i almost invested there's nothing today there are 18 million in 2019 we are only 8.2 million i've seen cambodia which i invested there they have they're almost close to philippines now with 20 million population and if you see you have a very big task to lead us but i believe nothing is impossible as there is a saying like mother i like father like son now we have like mother and like daughter you can do what is the impossible and we assure you we the private sector will be behind you 101 percent especially jay park thank you and good evening [Music] [Music] this time let's listen to the message from the consul general of japan hideki yamaji governor gwen garcia secretary christina frasco thank you very much for inviting all stakeholders on tourism tonight we are all united in promoting tourism in the philippines and in cebu we pledge that we all support secretary frasco's efforts for promoting tourism let us work together under the leadership of secretary glasgow thank you very much daghan salamat [Music] and now the mayor of the historic resort city of lapulapu mayor junard ahong-chan [Music] [Applause] thank you sam to the governor of the province of cebu governor guadalupe garcia senator elect senator javi herseto incoming secretary of the department of tourism mayor maria esperanza christina garcia frasco and her better half congressman duke brasco cebu city south district congressman elect congressman edu rama second district congressman edsel gallios mandavi city long district congresswoman lolipap dizon lapulapu city congresswoman elect my lovely wife sandy cebu board members my colleagues in the government service dot 7 director shalimar tamano honorary councils and members of the diplomatic courts mcaa general manager joe josnery department regional department heads tourism stakeholders and business sectors religious sectors distinguished guests friends friends from the media ladies and gentlemen it is my great honor to be part of this momentous and historic occasion after many years another civano has been chosen to be the tourism secretary in behalf of all the siguano speaking people allow me to express our deepest appreciation to the president-elect ferdinand marcos jr for appointing mayor christina garcia frasco a brilliant dynamic fearless and driven subwana to lead the tourism department in the past two years we have seen the decline of our tourism industry due to the pandemic generally our country tourism sector suffered miserably airlines were grounded hotels were closed tour operators and other hospitality related industry halted their operations many lost their jobs and thousands were deprived of their livelihood life was very hard especially for economists like ours which depend significantly on tourism thus the appointment of mayor frasco as tourism secretary is the spark we must need and have been waiting for to ignite a new our country tourism industry under her able and inspiring leadership she will be able to restore our once vibrant tourism sector her youthful aura strong sense of leadership and graceful command will be an asset to motivate others under her guidance to deliver as much as she can i am confident that in no time the philippines will be back on track and sooner we will reclaim our spot two years ago as one of the top tourist destinations globally all this we will see happening under secretary fresco the municipality of le luan will surely miss her presence but her capacity and capability as a leader are distant for greater things [Applause] and my local chief executives congratulations secretary maria esperanza christina garcia frasco good luck and may god bless you on your new position we assure you of our 101 percent support once again [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] rama [Music] [Music] governor gwen garcia mayor secretary christina fresco congressman duke frasco congressman edsel gallios congresswoman lollipop my fellow public servants members of the consular corps our tourism stakeholders a few years back in my first term a cebu city councillor sometime 2005 2006 i remember having my first and i think my longest conversation with gov gwen during the sinolog after she danced her hala i had just started scuba diving then and we talked about how apart from our dive sites there are so many things cebu has to offer to local and international tourists and to fellow cebuanos who have yet to discover what is in their backyard i admired how she promoted the different delicacies and towns with her one pound one product with dti and promoted different municipalities with surosurui her passion for cebu tourism was evident and i can see how this love for cebu and her excellence in public service has been instilled in her children mayor and incoming duty secretary christina garcia frasco has a track record of accomplishments and is known for her proactive and innovative leadership of liloan it came as no surprise to me that she would be selected by president-elect marcos who had one of the most important positions in government the tourism industry suffered considerably due to the pandemic the work needed to be done for the recovery and subsequent growth of this sector is daunting and being such i know we have the right person to navigate us through these these challenging times i've always known christina to be intelligent eloquent and purpose-driven and in this challenge of having to revitalize the industry to once again be an economic driver she will continue to bring with her her experience in effective governance proven management skills mayor and incoming secretary christina garcia fresco on behalf of the cebu city government led by our mayor mayor mike rama congratulations we are all proud of you and we are here to fully support you and filipinas [Music] [Music] i'd like to acknowledge also the presence of mandalay city councilor marie emeline cortes zafra representing mayor jonas cortes and now friends another message [Music] congressman frasco garcia senator elect jv herseto my colleagues in congress congresswoman lollipop juano de zon congressman-elect edorama congresswoman-elect cindy chan congressman elect edsel gallios my good friend regional director shah temano board members of the province of cebu tourism stakeholders of cebu honorary councils mayor ahong chan mayors of the province of cebu government officials ladies and gentlemen first of all to my extra ordinary wife christina i would like to tell you how extremely proud i am of you and on your new role as secretary of the department of terrorism i have no doubt in my mind that you will do that you will do extremely well in our not so small family of six one child after every election since 2010 after this election christina is the kind that keeps our family together when it comes to our children she's a very hands-on mother she organizes activities for our kids personally shops for all their clothes takes them to the doctor for their regular checkups reads to our five-year-old boy franco a bedtime story every night that we are home and on sundays she even prepares breakfast for us all when it comes to me her husband she's very understanding understanding of my role and responsibilities as a congressman allowing me to do what i need to do in my district by taking care of our family and by taking really good care of lilon it is this level of care selfless devotion and unconditional love for family that she has brought to the office of the mayor and to the people of the luan that has endured this supposedly into the hearts and minds of all little anons and which has propelled the municipality of liloan to even greater heights in the past six years she has been mayor in her new role as secretary of tourism although she is not directly from the tourism industry and she is new to the department just like in liloan i believe christina will bring the same care devotion and love that has made her successful as mayor of lilluan to the department of tourism christina you have done very well for our family and for liloan undoubtedly you will do exceptionally well for the dot and for our country i'm proud of you and i'm here for you always we're a team after all team frasco the gangster and now let's listen to senator is garcia incoming secretary christina frasco to the to all the district congressmen of cebu maryangchan and the rest of the local officials to the rest of the stakeholders of cebu again a blessed evening anyway as one of those who really believes in the beauty of cebu i'm very happy to be with you tonight i had the chat last week with the govern governor gwen garcia i uh we had a very good chat about how we can help each other revitalize tourism which i feel will be the low-hanging fruit that will help us bring back the economy back to life after this pandemic and as a rider myself i told governor gwen about the north loop and the south that we did for philippine motorcycle tourism and she agreed that a lot of businesses have sprung up because of the motorcycle tourism and we will be sharing all of this um hidden treasures and beautiful places in cebu and i'm sure that this will really help our tourism industry be revitalized and with secretary christina because cebu is really one example of how to raise him can really help the economy of the different areas the in the country i'm sure that you will do a good job the way your mother uh goguen has done wonders for cebu so be rest assured that as one of those who believe in the tourism industry i will be there to support uh the department of teresa and let us all help in uh bringing back life in the economy of our country through the tourism industry because they're gonna the multiplayer effect of tourism will really stimulate economic growth for our country again the gang salamat mabuhay and tourism [Music] is the pioneering tourism project of cebu governor juan garcia that opens the whole obsidian province as a premier tourist destination in the country it was first introduced in 2005 during the first term of governor garcia at a time when cyborg was viewing with so much potential in attracting tourists both local and international the word siri means to go around a place so the replication of surisuri refers to a repetition of the action of going around the province of cebu or symbol the goal has always been to entice people to visit and explore this beautiful island since its inception many years ago surisuri subu has gone a long way in promoting cebu as a must-visit tourist hub in the country created more jobs in tourism helping saborno entrepreneurs promote their homegrown products discover living treasures embracing awareness of our rich culture and heritage with its immense benefits to the subways and the tourism industry sure is here to stay because despite the challenges of the times tourism will always be a sunshine industry for cebu [Music] [Applause] [Music] foreign oh um [Music] [Music] foreign [Music] you know foreign [Music] is [Applause] thank you so much her heart has a special place for cebu tourism mother of surisuru the number one governor of the number one province in the philippines governor garcia thank you very much please please take your seats senator and then senator elect again jb hercito our incoming department of tourism mayor christina garcia frasco congressman duke rascal congresswoman lollipop congressman elect edsel galios congressman elect edurama congresswoman elect cindy chan the mayor of one of the prime tourist destinations in the country of lapulapu city mayor hongchan our provincial board members regional director and this is his idea tonight rd shalimar hofer tamano our consuls general of japan china and south korea our honorary councils and our men and women in uniform from the coast guard the philippine air force as well as our regional directors of the different line agencies of government attorney julius neri our gm of mciae and all of our very special guests and all of you our very special guests tonight the stakeholders of the tourism industry here in cebu tonight my heart swells with immeasurable pride that distinctive cebuano pride that is unique to us ang m foreign more than 36 years ago in 2004 i first assumed the position of governor the first woman governor in its 425 year history then of the province of cebu and things were never the same again aside from the other initiatives that we started really gave me the impetus to focus because i knew that giving that much importance would benefit thousands upon thousands of lives what pushed me every day every single day that i would wake up was the thought how could i bring the benefits of tourism to the countryside we had our usual tourism sites and yet there was so much more as congressman elect edu rama reminded me i said there was so much more that cebu had to offer this entire island was teeming with natural tourism destinations heritage sites and structures and our own unique culture and tradition and thus began the s the rest was history towns that had heretofore been relegated to the background and in fact it was a running joke that some cebuanos did not even know where some towns were located tagalog after my nine-year stint as governor each sugbo annun command sadan bantayan my and then when i came back as governor on my fourth unprecedented term kobe 19 hit us and the lockdowns the restrictions closed down our resorts businesses tourism related establishments jobs were lost were lost at first we all cowered in fear again but because i was tasked with the responsibility of looking after millions of cebuano lives i took it upon myself to study the data analyze it and then design over and above noisy opposition decide what would be good for the greater majority of the greater cebuanos we were the very first to stand up and say enough of lockdowns way back in august of 2020 with the provincial and provincial tourism task force we went around the entire province outlining the very detailed protocols that we had agreed upon together with the department of tourism the dti the department of health and the doh the the the maritime the coast guard the pmp even the military and we made that bold step to reopen tourism knowing that reopening of tourism would give that much needed boost to an already devastated economy now more than ever this is the time for cebuanos to help fellow cebuanos discover the beauty of cebu m tourism industry and so as the challenge always has been to us the premier province of the entire country the recognized number one province in the entire country we have faced up and met the challenge head on as we showed the country and perhaps even the rest of the world that here in cebu we decided to move on and to move forward but let me speak as a mother as well tonight little did i know that when i gave birth to my christmas baby at exactly 2 25 in the morning right after i had attended midnight mass that this wondrous blessing would come into our lives maria cristina garcia frasco she was born right after the club struck 12 midnight and in fact my doctor kept saying baby jesus baby jesus come out when a baby girl came out jesus and chose still to name you after jesus christ christina my heart swells with pride because i know how in all the years of our life escuela she always chose because life is always a matter of choice she always chose to exhale and excel she did [Applause] i need not repeat all of her accomplishments here as a mother as duke has eloquently pointed out as a mayor the multi-awarded mayor of lilon but let me just say that it is a unique blessing for a mother to see her child surpass all that she has accomplished as a mother because i see her shining brighter and surpassing even greater heights of glory and accomplishment because as you see and as i said she has and will always choose to excel our next incoming secretary of tourism maria esperanza cristina garcia frasco go boldly go boldly with the entire support of the entire cebu tourism industry as we celebrate cebu tourism tonight a deafening signal to the entire country that as you start with your new position with the entire country to look after you have the full 101 support of cebu the entire island of cebu and all of our tourism stakeholders count me in as your mom and governor of cebu [Applause] let this be a night of warm friendship bonding and more than just a celebration of cebu tourism let this be a celebration of us being the proud cebuano people that no one else can match [Applause] first [Music] [Music] is [Music] oh [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] benjamin born just hours after the clock struck midnight on christmas day maria esperanza christina garcia frasco has been destined to make a timely and lovely entrance fittingly she was christened with two other names aside from maria christina because her birthday falls on christmas day and more importantly esperanza after her grandmother the great judge esperanza field garcia founder of the now multi-billion cebu cfi community cooperative she is of course the proud granddaughter of the late pablo garcia a brilliant lawyer constitutionalist deputy speaker and a true statesman who served as cebu governor for three terms a role she takes to heart is being the daughter of governor gwendolyn garcia the first woman governor of the province of cebu amidst the illustrious political career of family members mayor christina has come into her own as a force to reckon with as a child she helped in the family business and has always been dependable a consistent academic achiever from elementary to high school she breezed through college at the ateneo de manila university where she took up legal management coming from a family of distinguished lawyers it was a given that she would also take up law in the same university she is one of those who represented the country in an international debate match the philip c jesup international moot court competition in the united states beating contenders from the university of the philippines and the university of santo tomas and competed with over 300 law schools from all over the world as a young lawyer she already started to make a name for herself determined to make her mark in her chosen field she practiced international arbitration and commercial litigation at the romulo mapanta benaventura sayoc and the los angeles law firm she also became a law professor in one of the prestigious law schools in cebu the university of san carlos [Music] mayor christina first burst into the national scene when she fiercely stood by her mom cebu governor gwendolyn garcia as her defense lawyer against the malicious baseless and politically motivated charges from critics all of which have since been dismissed people took notice of the smart and principled lawyer they were seeing on their screens after serving as vice mayor of liloan she was elected as the town's first woman mayor in 2016. she continued to make headlines reaping one award after another including the presidential lingua bayan award for outstanding government worker in 2021 and the top performing mayor in 2021 ranking first among 116 mayors in central visayas among many other accolades in 2019 she was elected president of the league of municipalities of the philippines cebu chapter as well as its national vice president under her watch the town of liloan went on to be recognized as top philippine model municipality and the most resilient municipality in the philippines for two years in a row it was also given the highest rating by the commission and audit for the years 2017 2019 and 2020 armed with her eloquence tact and vast knowledge and understanding of local governance and politics she made the rest of the country sit up and listen when davao city mayor and vice presidential candidate indisara duterte appointed her as her spokesperson [Music] with her four beautiful children and a loving husband fifth district congressman vincent franco duke frasco mayor christina has struck a balance between a life well-lived and a life of service after winning a fresh mandate in the last elections her plan was to serve her third and final term as linoan mayor but one fateful phone call changed all that she was in the spotlight once again after president-elect ferdinand bongbong marcos jr chose her to lead the department of tourism but then again who could be worth a year and more qualified to lead efforts to revive the country's tourism industry then someone who intimately knows the blueprint of cebu's successful tourism campaigns [Music] as she sets her sights on helping create a robust philippine economy powered by a dynamic tourism industry mayor christina brings with her the rich local government perspective necessary to come up with sustainable innovative as well as medium and long-term solutions and innovations one of our thrusts is to develop lesser-known and unexplored destinations while revitalizing the country's feigned tourism spots after all she has watched her mother cebu governor gwendolyn garcia push for countryside tourism by turning the spotlight on lesser recognized tourism sites preserving culture and heritage and developing the local sprite of place through the sury suri sugbo initiative and pasigar sasubu festival of festivals [Applause] [Music] cebu has witnessed mayor christina grow as a major political force becoming her own person of influence she is more than ready to take her seat as tourism chief and with full sabuana pride and confidence she will face the challenges head on tonight we celebrate her as we pledge our full support for all her undertakings because her success is cebu's success as well together with the whole country let us watch her make her grand entrance because incoming tourism secretary maria esperanza christina garcia frasco has arrived [Music] ladies and gentlemen incoming dot secretary mayor christina garcia frasco [Music] governor gwen garcia congressman duke frasco congresswoman lollipop owano dizon congressman elect edurama congresswoman elect cindy chan congressman elect edsel galeos board members of the province of cebu mayor ahong chan my fellow mayors of cebu members of the consular corps and honorary councils are partners in the tourism industry members of the archdiocese of cebu and the basilica menorah del santo nino our friends from media sako nang subuanun manga opishales the department of tourism in region 7 headed by dot regional director shalimar tamano my fellow workers in government both the national and local government units thank you thank you for your presence here tonight my grandfather always used to say that when the heart is full the mouth cannot speak and that is why i struggle forwards as i begin my remarks before you tonight i am humbled and grateful by your presence at this evening that celebrates cebuano tourism and the coming together of stakeholders and leaders in the tourism industry from the public and private sectors i am honored by your kind words and well wishes on my designation as the next secretary of the department of tourism however i believe that this honor given me by president elect bongbong marcos who holds the confidence of over 31 million filipinos is not mine alone as asabuana i share this honor with all sabuanos including all of you who are here tonight whose unity and strength of spirit to fight for the survival and success of our tourism industry has never wavered [Applause] i share this honor with a person whose immense love for cebu and sterling and unifying leadership has seen us through the many seasons of our life as a province and the woman whom i am privileged to call my mother the fearless and indefatigable governor goren garcia [Applause] my life in public service began in 2016 when i first ran and won as mayor of liloan the past six years of my life has been devoted to the service of my beloved town throughout this time and amid these most difficult and challenging years for any local chief executive he has been by my side as my partner my champion my greatest ally who supports me in every way congressman duke fresco thank you [Applause] the tourism industry has long had enormous potential to fuel the engine of our country's economic success harnessed in a manner that is inclusive sustainable proactive and collaborative as we have shown in cebu not even the ravages of the pandemic or calamities can dampen the industry's prospects to rise to its full potential almost a year ago today i was invited to speak at a tourism summit with tourism stakeholders here in cebu not knowing then that the hand of destiny would lead me to where i am now as i had then i am now offering the hand of collaboration to all tourism stakeholders all local officials across the country for us to work together to not only reclaim the philippines standing in the global stage but to exceed it it is my hope that by building bridges of collaboration we can generate boundless opportunities for livelihood employment and business that puts the success of every tourism stakeholder front and center of our agenda as a mayor i am acutely aware of the role of local government units in the development of the tourism industry by providing basic services and facilities that include tourism development and promotion programs and the regulation of tourism facilities and attractions however my local governance experience has also taught me that beyond theoretical notions of developing and promoting tourism is the practical necessity of setting the proper foundation for the industry's medium and long-term success particularly with focus on two essential building blocks namely effective local government planning and implementation and shared tourism governance by the public and private sector to ensure sustainable tourism effective planning and implementation on the local government side necessitates focus on zoning and land use regulations that enhances rather than degrades the long-term value of tourist attractions proactive and aggressive infrastructure development that provides quality access to roads bridges water systems providing access to various methods of transportation by land sea and air as well as heritage and environmental preservation the goal is to improve the overall tourism experience by both domestic and foreign tourists so that they not only enjoy the idea of the brand that is the philippines but fully immerse in and keep buying into the product that is our beautiful country and the work of our people apart from lgu public investment programs also crucial for long-term stability are the institutionalization of measures to promote the continued inflow of investments and the implementation of social economic programs to protect the interest of tourism stakeholders from tourism related owners to suppliers to employees in terms of increasing investment potential over tourist areas especially in the islands where the inalienability of public land continues to present unjust barriers to locals from owning land as well as disawait outside investment or further development legislation promoting land ownership through land tightening is essential in terms of social economic protections for tourism stakeholders the importance of government intervention has become even more imminent in the wake of the covet 19 pandemic that resulted in massive losses across the board from resorts to airlines land and sea travel providers tour operators and caused so much suffering hardship job loss and lower income for the industry's employees and suppliers the second building block towards setting the proper foundation for the long-term success of the tourism industry is in shared tourism governance by the public and private sector to ensure sustainable tourism while tourism's contribution to the economy is undeniable we have also seen its propensity to adversely affect local economies and communities and the environment without proper regulation since we all envision the long-term success of the tourism industry sustainable tourism development paired with effective local governance and strong national government coordination spells the way forward vital to the successful application of these elements of sustainability is the translation of these theories to practical and actual application on the ground this is where the importance of shared tourism governance by the public and private sector comes in from both the national and local government side it's essential to recognize and acknowledge the value of tourism stakeholders in the community and the tourism sector from policy planning to grassroots implementation through its local chief executives local government units can drive a sustainable development agenda within their tourist destinations while empowering the private sector local community tourists and other stakeholders through a well-coordinated and collaborative approach towards harnessing the potential of our tourism destinations and revitalizing the tourism industry as a whole we can all be assured that sustainable tourism development is translated from theoretical principles into concrete action that not only assures the long-term progress and profit of the industry but most importantly protects the beauty and integrity of our natural environment and uplifts the quality of life for all our country is blessed with the incomparable beauty of our natural resources and the endless talent of our people with your help we can continue to harness our already well-known tourist sites bring attention opportunities to areas that are yet to be discovered and promoted and improve the overall tourist experience and increase arrivals from both existing and potential markets and most importantly give to the filipino people a wealth of economic opportunity i wish to express my gratitude to you all with your help and effective terrorism governance from the national to the local level tourism can continue to be a force for good towards economic recovery sustainability for the benefit of our country and our fellow filipinos foreign [Applause] to present a token to the secretary [Music] congratulations to tourism secretary christina garcia frasco uh [Music] [Music] oh let us first enjoy the cocktails of the courier area under the boat but the festival of m so we're inviting everyone to enjoy the cocktails and the furrier area [Music] [Music] power [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] again we're inviting our guests [Music] to cocktails at the furrier area under the dome just outside this social hall but please come back here after the cocktails for our festival of festivals [Music] [Music] thank you
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