Consul General Bobby Joseph of the Network of Independent Travel and Allied Services (NITAS) has asked Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez Jr. to have a dialog with hoteliers and resort owners to thresh out issues surrounding the planned star rating system for hotels and resorts by the Department of Tourism.
Sir Bobby Joseph said that hoteliers and resort owners are against the DOT project which has several flaws. But apparently, Secretary Jimenez isn’t aware of the objections because he was not privy to details of its implementation. Undersecretary Baba Jasmin was in charge of the initiative.
The project got a P320-million grant from the Canadian Government. Hotel industry players want the DOT to make public the conditions of the grant coursed through the Canadian International Development Agency.
Joseph said the grant came as a surprise because Canada doesn’t have a government-sanctioned hotel rating system. Joseph said national governments around the world don’t require hotels to be subjected to a rating system as it is very hard to standardize criteria.
The United States and United Kingdom, two top tourist destinations, leave it to consumers to do the ratings. There are online sites where customer reviews can be seen. It is best to leave the ratings and recommendations of hotels and resorts to private organizations and publications.
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Presidential bet Sen. Grace Poe and her running mate Sen. Chiz Escudero visited Cebu last Thursday. The trip included a meeting in Danao city with leaders of the Bakud party headed by Danao Mayor Ramonito Durano.
That visit raised some eyebrows because the Duranos are known allies of President Aquino, whose candidate is Mar Roxas of the Liberal Party. Cabinet Secretary Rene Almendras is a brother of Vice Gov. Agnes Magpale, who is seeking reelection under Bakud in alliance with the Liberal Party.
So what are the Duranos up to? Does Poe’s visit signal any change of heart about Bakud’s alliance with the Liberal Party or possible support for a Grace Poe-Chiz Escudero tandem? Now, I also question the kind of politics exhibited by the Poe-Escudero tandem because the Duranos are not known to be loyal to a candidate unless it serves the family’s political agenda.
With this development, what would happen to Winston Garcia who supports Grace Poe? Would this mean Garcia , who is running for Cebu governor, may be supporting another presidential candidate – Vice President Jejomar Binay or Rody Duterte ?
Garcia’s potential candidacy should not be ignored by the Liberal Party in Cebu headed by Gov. Junjun Davide. From what I heard, Garcia has a complete slate in nearly all localities in Cebu province and has recruited a strong running mate from a vote-rich district that is aimed at offsetting the 5th district bailiwick of Vice Governor Magaple.
Back to the Duranos, what is not yet known for sure is whether the clan is fielding a Durano for governor.
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