By JONG CADION
Dapitan City Tourism Officer Apple
Marie Agoong
PAGADIAN CITY, Zamboanga del Sur (Jan.
26, 2016) --- The stakeholders coming from the different government and
non-government organizations in Dapitan City organized the Cultural, Arts,
Tourism, Heritage (CATH) Council to embark on a new tourism development thrust
called Dapitan City Culture, Arts, Tourism and Heritage Program, City Tourism
Official said Tuesday.
Dapitan City Tourism Officer Apple
Marie Agoong said the members of the newly organized CATH Council were coming from
the socio-civic cultural communities as well as from the government and
non-government organizations in the various cultural, arts, tourism, heritage,
investment, trade and community service endeavors.
Agolong said that after the
organization they immediately elected their officers following the holding of
last Friday’s the First Dapitan City Tourism Stakeholders Forum aimed to
achieve economic development through tourism, trade and investment
Agolong said the officers will be
responsible in drafting a five-year Tourism Development Plan, which would
integrate all the concerns shared by the different sectors aimed to achieve
economic development through tourism, trade and investment that will be
included in the National Tourism Development Plan (NTDP).
City Tourism Officer added that the
elected officers of CATH Council are the following:
President, Swetlana J. de Leon, Business
Sector; Vice president for External Affairs, City Councilor Alemarlou B. Dagpin, Government Sector, Committee of
Culture and Arts Chairman; VP for Internal Affairs, Shama Sekainah L. Santiago,
American Field Service, International Organization; Secretary, Apple Marrie
Agolong, Government
Sector, City Tourism Officer; Treasurer, Hermanico Malacat, Academe, DepEd
Supervisor; Auditor, Engr. Edgar Ligutom, Association of Business Professionals;
Business Manager, Amalou T. Monroyo, Government Sector, Committee on Livelihood
Chairperson and three Coordinators for the Culture and Arts, Peter Macrohon, Culture
and Arts Sector, Gloria's Fantasyland Director; Tourism, City Councilor Bong
Estacio, Government
Sector, Committee on Tourism Chairman and for Heritage, the former City Mayor Patri
B. Chan, Business Sector, President of Rice and Corn Dealers Association.
She said the elected officers will
identify solutions to the recent adverse travel advisory issued by some foreign
embassies and develop an integrated marketing program geared towards achieving
this city's tourism, trade and investment goals including but not limited to
the creation of a communications and public relations plan to counter the
deterrent factors of the advisories.
She said local tourism, which is deeply
anchored on its rich cultural heritage, is now a major contributor of this
city's economic growth revolving not just to the three major heritage-related
celebrations namely: the Kinabayo Festival in July; the Founding Anniversary
Celebration in November; and, the Handuraw Festival in December, but to the
other monthly activities which are always crowd drawers.
The monthly festivals are as follows:
Kagang Festival in February; Tuloy Festival in May; World Costume Festival in
June; and, Ulang Festival in November thereby also making this city to be known
the “city of festivals.”
Agolong said the religious activities
such as the observance of Lent and Santacruzan are among the crowd drawer
activities. She is also invited the people to visit Dapitan City
She noted that pension houses and
other investments are increasing as there are still a lot of other local,
national and international activities the city is hosting and had positive
effected to the local economy.
The Creation
of Dapitan City CATH Council and Election of Officers was attended by Marilou
G. Silorio, Senior Tourism Operation Officer, DOT Zamboanga Peninsula Region
and Ma. Valle Congzon, Supervising Tourism Officer, DOT Head Office
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