National gov’t key to making PH a ‘more fun’ place

Indeed, “[I]t’s more fun in the Philippines.” I had the opportunity to experience this recently in Romblon with Marikina City officials. After exchanging executive and legislative notes on community development, we had fun visiting Romblon’s enchanting white-sand beaches and mountains of virgin woodlands, stunning beach resorts with cottages, and browsing through exquisite marble carvings; savoring mouth-watering native delicacies like sarsa ng uyang; and meeting hospitable Romblomanons.

Also a calming experience, aside from the late-afternoon stroll on the shore, was sharing pizza late at night with friendly European tourists by the beach, the gentle though chilly wind stroking our skins. The Department of Tourism is definitely right in choosing “more fun in the Philippines” as its main advertising come-on. Certainly, Romblon is one place where people can have more fun in the Philippines.

However, I guess, such fun would be spoiled in tour destinations where the airports are unappealing, flights are delayed and airports personnel are rude. Worse, when the roads leading to a tourist spot are very rough, the transport facilities are inadequate, the fare is costly, etc.

No matter how the local government units make every effort to transform their barangays, towns, provinces and cities into places where local and foreign tourists can have fun, if the national government would not do anything about the “fun-spoilers,” the fun in Philippine tours would be diminished, if not taken away altogether.

—REGINALD B. TAMAYO,

chief of staff,

Office of the Vice Mayor,

Marikina City