Time for DOT to act on Oslob tourism issues

Last week the tourism stakeholders met with Department of Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo Puyat to find ways to help improve Cebu’s foremost tourism destinations and call me lucky that someone just emailed me a letter about what he saw in Oslob. Here’s the letter in full but the writer asked not to be identified.

“Dear Sir, Have you been to the location of the whale sharks lately? Let me share with you an experience in Cebu last year at the Oslob whale shark adventure. Upon arrival there is one temporary shelter where all the guests register, then attend a short film about the sharks before they can get into the water, but next to the shelter with no enclosure are all the diesel vans waiting for the tourists with their engines running the entire time. The diesel fumes directly go into the shelter and everyone inhales the diesel.

“Drivers must be told to turn off their engines since we inhale all the fumes the entire time. Much worse after the swim, all the tourists have to wash in filthy cubicles that offer no running water. Instead water is available only in huge buckets with a tabo. If anyone has to use a bathroom, you would have to beg one of the restaurants to use theirs. One should hear the nasty comments we heard from the Australian and European tourists about the lack of infrastructure and filthy conditions.

“I hope your team can inspect this carnage and urge the local government to invest in clean and healthy shower and bath facilities if we are to continue promoting Oslob and the tourist attractions around the country. We had the same experience in Siargao in 2016. All the bathrooms had no running water and urine odor was seeping out to the parking lot. Thank you.”

This gives us an idea of what tourists are getting in Oslob. Frankly speaking, I still haven’t been there because I heard that to swim with whale sharks you really have to wake up very early in the morning. But the complaint of the writer is valid. First, drivers of tourist vans have to turn off their engines because diesel fumes are more toxic than gasoline fumes. Perhaps the local government can set a high penalty to drivers who do not turn off their engines.

I was taken aback by the letter that showed that tourists have to wash in cubicles that have no running water. This is something that Oslob officials should change immediately lest Oslob suffers a similar fate like the closure of Boracay. These are the things that Puyat needs from the tourism stakeholders. The Land Transportation Office can sit down with the traffic police to lecture drivers on the need to turn off their engines.

Mind you, I learned from friends how much the barangay in Oslob earns and certainly it is time for them to build clean toilet facilities for tourists. This includes also facilities in Siargao. DOT-7 Regional Director Shalimar Hofer Tamano must carefully check these tourist destinations and demand the locals follow DOT, otherwise we will be the first to ask the government to shut down these tourism facilities.

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Albay Representative Joey Salceda said that new and higher taxes on diesel and other oil products will most likely be suspended in January next year. Under the controversial Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) law, Salceda said that taxes for next year will be suspended if the price of world crude averages at least $80 per barrel for three months. This is something positive that we can look forward to next year. He added: “That means that the increase in taxes for 2019 will be automatically suspended.”

President Rodrigo Duterte earlier voiced his openness to calls for the suspension of excise tax on oil to arrest the runaway inflation. But Finance Assistant Secretary Tony Lambino said they want some guidance on the pronouncement of the president as he might be referring to the next tranche of increase in the excise taxes on oil.

Mind you, I always put P1,000 worth of gasoline in my car. Five months ago that meant more than 20 liters of fuel. The other day I gassed up in a Shell Station and my P1,000 only gave me 16 liters. Something has to be done!

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