Negros Oriental eyes inclusive tourism
By Jennifer C. Tilos
DUMAGUETE CITY, Oct 4 (PIA) -- The Negros Oriental Provincial Tourism Office welcomed the participation of persons with disabilities (PWD) sector, through The Great Physician Rehabilitation Foundation (GPRehab) to the 2012 Buglasan Festival in October.
The PWD sector will join in the opening parade on October 12 and at the “Pagpa-apil 2012: A Fellowship for Disability” on October 13 at the Sidlakang Negros Village, Dumaguete City.
“We want this year’s celebration to be more meaningful with the participation of several sectors in the community. We are happy to note that the PWD sector is joining us. This will surely create an impact in making Negros Oriental’s tourism more attractive especially to tourists with disabilities,” said Myla Mae Bromo-Abellana, senior tourism operations officer.
The opening parade will include PWDs from the cities and municipalities of the province, parents of children with disabilities, advocates, and organizations working for and with the PWD sector.
On the other hand, the “Pagpa-apil 2012: A Fellowship for Disability” is a whole-day affair that will offer varied initiatives to educate the community about disability, said Great Physician Rehabilitation (GPRehab) coordinator Roland Villamero Jr.
These will include assessment of children with disabilities, consultations on accessibility and creating a Barrier-Free Environment, advocacy booth for disability, aerobics for disability, inclusive games and a disability sensitivity workshop.
The one-day activity will culminate in a disability fellowship program which will showcase the different talents of some members of the sector, Villamero said.
“GPRehab sees this as an initial big step towards making tourism in Negros Oriental more inclusive. This will surely highlight the province’s initiative in making sure that PWD are included into the mainstream of tourism development,” said Analou Suan, GPRehab executive director.
Villamero said inclusive tourism is a kind of tourism that takes into consideration the needs of all travelers, children, senior citizens, families, persons with disabilities.
It does not exclude anyone because of “special needs.”
He added that this will also provide infrastructural features and services that will benefit everyone, including those with disabilities.
In this context, a ramp now becomes a path, not only for people in wheelchairs but also for those in crutches, old people who now move slower, pregnant women who find it tiring to use the stairs.
“It is a concept that is now slowly becoming more popular especially because of travelers, like older people and persons with disabilities, who have more time and more money to spare but who have limited options because of their physical or even intellectual limitations. Accessible features, more PWD-friendly services and, more importantly, a more universally welcoming attitude by the local community, are some of the important aspects of Inclusive Tourism,” said Villamero. (mbcn/JCT/PIA 7, Negros Oriental)
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Dumaguete City prepares for 64th Charter Day celebration
By Jennifer C. Tilos
DUMAGUETE CITY, Oct 4 (PIA) -- Dumaguete City is preparing a list of activities for its 64th Charter Day celebration in November 2012.
This year's Fiesta Executive Committee chair, City Tourism Officer Woodrow Maquiling Jr. said they have been holding meetings as early as this week to assign working committees from government and private or non-government organizations for the whole November celebration.
Dumaguete City Mayor Manuel Sagarbarria is the overall convenor of the celebration with Glynda Descuatan as co-convenor. William Ablong heads the Farm Family Congress and Outstanding Dumaguetenos committees while Maquiling for Miss Dumaguete committee and DepEd City Superintendent Ramir Uytico to lead the Sandurot Festival and among others.
Maquiling said, this year's celebration includes the search for outstanding Dumaguetenos, Sandurot Festival, Miss Dumaguete 2012, Farm Family Congress, dog show, trade fair, social welfare day, sports events, and grand fiesta opening.
"This year's fiesta celebration will be meaningful, memorable and there will be many creations and innovations," Maquiling said.
Other proposed fiesta activities are media memorabilia, street dance, sandurot birik-birik festival, and pasalubong center. (mbcn/JCT-PIA7 Negros Oriental)
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Dumaguete City searching for outstanding Dumagueteños
By Jennifer C. Tilos
DUMAGUETE CITY, Oct 4 (PIA) -- The Dumaguete City Fiesta 2012 Executive Committee announced the search for outstanding Dumagueteños this year to recognize the exemplary performance and dedication to service by individuals and institutions doing work to build strong communities across the country.
Search Committee for Outstanding Dumagueteños Chair, City Administrator William Ablong said, it is still firming up the criteria and organizing the complete set of the committee members.
Ablong added, the committee will look for outstanding residents of Dumaguete in the fields of environment, education, public service, entrepreneurship as well as sport, culture and arts and medicine.
The search will also consider persons or marginalized groups doing exemplary performance such as the fisher folks, farmers, laborers, drivers, tricycles and multi-cab drivers, carpenters, house helper, market vendors, sales persons, nursing aids and help workers and the rank and file employees of government.
“These people will not apply; somebody has to nominate them and encourage such organizations to nominate among themselves who are outstanding in their respective groups (farmer, fisher or an association of house helpers),” said Ablong.
For individual sectors such as the Department of Education, a group of environmentalists and businessmen, they will be recommended or nominated by their respective groups and these will be subjected evaluation based on the criteria of the search and selection committee, Ablong added.
The search committee will meet next week to finalize the criteria and evaluate as to how many aspirants will complete the slate.
Nomination will be submitted to members of the selection committee or to his office, Ablong said.
The winners for different field of endeavors will be announced during the People’s Day celebration in time for the city fiesta in November this year, Ablong added. (mbcn/JCT-PIA7 Negros Oriental)
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NegOr infra projects to make life easier for 2 remote villages in Bayawan City
By Rachelle M. Nessia
DUMAGUETE CITY, Oct 4 (PIA) -- The provincial government here turned over the completed infrastructure facilities to remote villages in Bayawan City.
The infrastructure projects were completed using funds from the provincial government.
In Brgy. Kalamtukan, Gov. Roel Degamo turned over the multi-purpose pavement (MPP) at Sitio Pulang-yuta and the cemented portion of a road at Sitio Balastro.
The provincial government earlier allotted P350,000 for the MPP completion and P400,000 for the cementing of the road, said Capitol Information Officer Adrian Sedillo.
“Brgy. Kalamtukan will also be benefiting from more projects such as electrification and installation of deep wells,” said Sedillo.
The provincial government also turned over to Brgy. Narra, another hinterland village in Bayawan City, a road-improvement project - the cementing of a road network connecting Sitio Banuyo to Brgy. Nangka and to Brgy. Narra.
Sedillo said the road-cementing project, costing P3.5 million, is one of the biggest infrastructure projects funded by the provincial government for a barangay.
Also turned over to the village is a box culvert project at Sitio Talaptap worth P300,000.
“The box culvert shortens the route from Brgy. Narra to Brgy. Cansumalig and San Isidro to Brgy. Amio,” added Sedillo.
The provincial government has been funding several infrastructure projects in the barangays here to promote development, peace and order in remote areas in the province.
Earlier last month, four completed infrastructure projects were turned over in Basay town.
Said projects are among the infrastructure facilities with allotted budget of P3.3 million that are part of Basay’s share from last year’s 20 percent economic development fund. (RMN-PIA7 Negros Oriental)