We are not accepting new tourists in Cebu
Allow me to comment on the front page headline of The FREEMAN entitled, “Gov hits MCIA, DOT” As the news report said, “Governor Gwendolyn Garcia has called out the Mactan Cebu International Airport (MCIA) and the Department of Tourism-7 for continuing to accommodate foreign tourists to Cebu without coordinating with the province. "It's been such a frustrating battle when fellow Cebuanos do not cooperate with us, do not join hands with us to protect Cebu and the Cebuanos," Garcia said in a press conference. Also, Cordova Mayor Mary Therese Cho reportedly expressed alarm over the number of Germans checking into hotels in the municipality.” What really is the score here?
I immediately called Department of Tourism (DOT) Regional Director Shalimar Tamano and I only asked him if the DOT was still accepting new foreign tourists to Central Visayas. He said no, saying these were foreign tourists who already in many resorts in Central Visayas who went to MCIA upon the request of their respective embassies that prepared special flights to return them to Europe. If they checked in into hotels, they are only in Mactan Island. I also checked with the Quarantine Office and they don’t have facilities to house foreigners in MCIA, so they had to be in hotels.
When these special chartered flights get here, these foreigners will go home and appreciate the fact that the local governments in Cebu cared for their needs, especially when they really had to go home. I’m sure that the respective embassies of these tourists will also appreciate what our Cebuano leaders did for their citizens in this dire time of need. Don’t forget the various governments prepared funds to bring their stranded citizens home. As I’m writing this piece, the United Kingdom just announced 75 million pounds earmarked to bring British citizens on special flights home from wherever they are.
As of March 31, 5,732 stranded foreigners or tourists in Central Visayas have requested assistance. Of this number, 4,170 or 73% were in the island of Cebu. Of that number, 5,479 tourists have already gone home on chartered flights leaving MCIA. That’s a huge number of tourists.
Now I understand why Gov. Gwen chastised MCIA or DOT because of our dire situation at this time. However, we know very well that when this issue is finally resolved, we would have to resell Cebu once more as we did a couple of years ago, when many foreigners responded to our advertisement that Cebu was the place to come and visit, and they did come. Now if we refused to give assistance to those tourists…would they care to return back to Cebu? I doubt it. But because we also helped their embassies for their charter flights, I’m sure many of them will return to Cebu because we helped them in their hour of need.
I know that MCIA General Manager Steve Dicdican has issued a clarificatory statement on the authority of the national government and the LGUs in the transportation sector to address COVID-19. It mentions that the Bayanihan Act also provides that it is the president who has the authority to limit and restrict the transportation sector, and that all LGUs must act within the letter and spirit of all the rules, regulations, and directives issued by the national government.
Dicdican said: “I am just following the law and the national directive. I suggest LGUs do the same. The air transportation sector is under the authority of the President and the DOTr/IATF during this time of national emergency, not the LGUs." At this point this became an issue because of the heat of COVID-19. This is why I’m writing this to clear the air where I’m not blaming anyone for simply doing their respective jobs during this dire situation. So my final word on this is DOT or MCIA is not accepting new tourists to Central Visayas. They are only helping the foreign embassies prepare their citizens to be repatriated back to their respective countries.
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COVID-19 has claimed the life of another Cebuano frontliner. This time, it is Dr. Dennis Ramon Tudtud, an oncologist, husband of Dr. Helen Tutud who died last week of this dreaded virus. They are the first husband and wife doctor team to perish because of COVID-19. They sacrificed their lives so that others may live. May we request our pious readers to please pray for the repose of their souls.
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