More tourist assistance centers eyed

MANILA, Philippines - The Tourism Infrastructure and Economic Zone Authority (TIEZA) is looking to build tourist assistance centers (TAC) and floating dock systems across the country to provide convenience and accessibility to tourists.

In an interview, TIEZA chief operating officer Pocholo Paragas told The STAR the agency is planning to put up TAC in targeted tourism areas across the country that will house basic facilities and services tourist may need while they are on the road.

The TACs will offer comfort rooms, rest areas, charging and WiFi stations, tourist information desks, PNP outposts, parking areas and Go Lokal Stores where products from small businesses in the area can be sold.

“When you go to Baguio, you don’t have to go to Jollibee, Mcdonald’s or Shell just to use the bathroom. This should be provided by the government,” Paragas said.

Paragas said the planned TACs would come in three-size formats: small (66.78 sqm in floor area), medium (114 sqm) and large (196.14 sqm).

The estimated cost to put up one TAC ranges from P2.47 million to P5.9 million.

While Paragas did not give TIEZA’s exact allocation for the establishment of TACs, he said the agency’s annual budget for infrastructure projects is around P1.4 billion.

Asked for potential locations of the TACs, Paragas said the agency is still trying to map them out.

“We have one in Nueva Viscaya. We have board approvals for others,” Paragas said.

“In Mindanao, there’s already a private group trying to start it. So we came up with about 89 (sites),” Paragas added.

The COO said TACs would also be built in Luzon and the Visayas.

“We’re also coordinating with the private sector. In their private properties, maybe we can also put TACs,” he said.

The establishment of TACs is part of TIEZA’s Project DREAMS (destination, restoration, eco sustainability, agrotourism, medical assistance, and security and accesibility), which aims to provide and improve tourism infrastructure in the country, the official said.

The project is one of the ways TIEZA is being proactive in fulfilling its mandate to support local government units, by offering solutions in addressing their infrastructure needs instead of waiting for LGUs to approach them with proposed projects.

“TIEZA’s mandate is to also support the local government units in putting up the infrastructure they want to do,” Paragas said.

Also part of the DREAMS initiative is the establishment of floating dock systems, which will serve as floating piers to make sure tourists are safely able to board boats in certain destinations in the country.

Estimated cost for the construction of the docks is at P40,000 per square meter. The infrastructure agency is targeting to launch its first floating dock system project in El Nido Palawan, this year.

“The (TIEZA) board already approved it so we’re working on our terms of references to make it happen. That’s exciting. I want to do the ribbon cutting before the end of the year,” Paragas said without disclosing other potential sites for the floating dock system.

“We’re an archipelago so we need this. There’s so many places where we can build this,” he said.

TIEZA is the infrastructure arm of the Department of Tourism (DOT). The agency was created by virtue of Republic 9593 or the Tourism Act of 2009.