Taxi drivers undergo orientation for APEC

Members of the APEC Cebu Organizing Committee, headed by coordinator Lito Maderazo (3rd from right), hold a meeting at the Governor’s Office conference room on Tuesday to discuss preprations for Cebu’s hosting of the APEC Summit in August.(CDN/JUNJIE MENDOZA)

More than 100 taxi drivers and operators underwent an orientation on the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) at the Capitol Social Hall yesterday morning.

The activity, spearheaded by the Department of Tourism (DOT), sought to make drivers and operators aware of their roles during Cebu’s hosting of APEC meetings starting August.

Rowena Montecillo, DOT-7 regional director, said it is the mandate of her office to ensure that frontliners in every destination are prepared to handle foreign visitors.

“We do not want to miss the taxi drivers because they should know that we have special guests for the period,” she said.

DOT heads the Tours and Spouses Sub-committee of the APEC Cebu Organizing Committee.

Cebu expects to play host to more than 3,200 delegates from 21 APEC economies,  excluding the spouses and children they may bring along, from August to September.

Montecillo said that the drivers need to be made aware that they are part of the service Cebu wants to extend to its guests. The orientation is jointly organized by the DOT, Land Transportation Office, Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board, and the Cebu Provincial Government.

Organizers targeted to orient 400 taxi drivers and operators, divided into four batches, in a span of two days.

Another batch underwent the same seminar in the afternoon.

The participants were oriented by the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) on how to respond to emergency scenarios that the delegates may meet.

“We have to level up our service security-wise so that when they face emergencies, they will know what to do and will not have to worry,” Montecillo said.

With the influx of visitors during the series of APEC meetings later this year, taxi drivers are expected to earn more.

OCD 7 Operations Officer Verneil Balaba, who gave an input on emergency response, said that the drivers should keep their vehicles presentable and should maintain the friendly disposition Cebuanos are known for.

He also told the drivers that they may address their concerns to the operations center of the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (RDRRMC) 7 that will be located at the Bayfront Hotel throughout the meeting dates.

Balaba added that the city will be added with security personnel so drivers may also report any untoward incident or ask assistance from nearby law enforcement officers.

Furthermore, he admonished taxi drivers to avoid bringing delegates to dangerous places in the city, particularly “prostitution areas.”

“Even before I was with OCD, when I was still with other agencies, I always reminded our clientele that we are not promoting prostitution here. If they (drivers) are sincere with their work and the tourists insist on being transported to the red light district, then they should decline,” he told reporters.

As part of the security preparation for the event APEC Summit 2015, more than 200 police personnel will undergo a 10-day training on VIP protection.

Yesterday, the first batch, which is about 60 personnel from the different units of the Police Regional Office (PRO) 7 underwent the training led by personnel from Camp Crame.

The training is not limited to classroom instructions but also involves practical lessons and target shooting./WITH AND UP CEBU INTERN JULIENNE HAZEL E. PENSERGA