Dapitan City forms CATH Council and elect officers

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