Political agenda

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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