by Rham Joseph Cabasag
Intended to help promote Zamboanga tourism and contribute positively to the city’s economic development and quality of life, Cong. Beng Climaco has urged the Department of Tourism to include Zamboanga City in its promotional campaign, something which was not done in the past years.
Climaco personally relayed this desire to Tourism Secretary Albert Lim during the latter’s visit to Zamboanga August 27-28 to represent President Aquino in the 6th Zamboanga Peninsula Business Conference.
Climaco, who joined Sec. Lim together with Mayor Celso Lobregat and other officials in a visit to Sta. Cruz Island Friday afternoon (August 27) as well as in visits to some city’s attractions, said making Zamboanga a part of the department’s promotional campaign both nationally and internationally will have greater impact on the city’s tourism industry.
The lady solon lamented that Zamboanga City was never highlighted by the DOT during the previous administration. She also opined that outsiders’ perception about Mindanao as a whole has a bearing on the promotion of Zamboanga tourism.
She believes that the growth of Zamboanga’s tourism will help promote new investments and thereby improve employment opportunities.
Zamboanga, she stressed, with the overall efforts of the administration of Mayor Celso Lobregat and complemented by her congressional office, has many potentials to boast of.
The city has a unique culture and many attractions to showcase, she emphasized.
Meanwhile, Lim was receptive to the proposal saying that Zamboanga City could be marketed positively by building up on its strengths—specifically the language and culture.
Lim, visiting for the first time in Zamboanga, described the city as “a peaceful and beautiful city that has a Spanish sounding dialect in a very Filipino setting”.
He lamented however that Zamboanga is affected by the perception problem on peace and order in the entire Mindanao Island.
Lim added: “We hope that peace will break out during this administration and places like Zamboanga will also enjoy the benefits of tourism”.
