In a meaningful celebration of the Department of Tourism’s (DOT) 50th Founding Anniversary, close to 200 employees joined the officials led by Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco for a tree planting activity at Mount Purro Nature Reserve in Antipolo City recently.
The nature reserve is a product of a 35-year environmental quest of Toto Malvar and his family, with the help of the Dumagat Indigenous People, to transform an important land area of the Upper Marikina Watershed into the well-loved ecotourism site that it is known today.
It started as a grassroots strategy for reforestation and watershed rehabilitation after the chunk of land was damaged by strong typhoons and heavy rainfall which hit Metro Manila for the past decades.
In her speech, Frasco expressed her utmost respect and admiration to the efforts made to the beautiful nature reserve, citing that the area reminded her of the mountain barangays of Liloan town in Cebu where she served as a local chief executive for three terms prior to assuming the role as tourism secretary just last year.
“As I was approaching the mountains of this beautiful City of Antipolo, it really reminded me of my mountain barangays in Liloan.”
“I am the one who’s very honored to meet our Dumagat community, Sir Toto, and to all of you here who have worked so hard these past 35 years to build such an inspiring Mountain Reserve. Papunta palang ako dito, I was feeling very nostalgic already because one year ago today, I was actually elected for the third time as mayor of Liloan, and that as I was approaching the mountains of this beautiful City of Antipolo, it really reminded me of my mountain barangays in Liloan,” the tourism chief said.
“Being here reminds me of that which is most important in all of the things that we do in government, and that is to be stewards for the environment, so that this and the next generation can enjoy the blessings that we have all had the privilege of enjoying our entire lives,” the tourism head added.
She then emphasized the importance of caring for the environment by starting with the basics–such as planting a tree.
“Our purpose is not only to bring in the hordes of tourists both from our international as well as our local destinations, but also to ensure that we inspire and we encourage our tourists to always leave the place better than when they found it.”
“While the environment is chiefly within the mandate of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, it is deeply intertwined with our mandate in the Department of Tourism because our purpose is not only to bring in the hordes of tourists both from our international as well as our local destinations, but also to ensure that we inspire and we encourage our tourists to always leave the place better than when they found it,” Frasco stressed.
“And what better way to send out that most important message than to start within ourselves to remember the value of going back to basics–planting a tree–caring for that and adopting a mindset that we are all responsible for the longevity of our tourism destinations,” she added.
Thanking the officials and employees who participated in the celebration, she likewise noted that the roles of officials and employees were not just confined to the corners of the office but how the actual work was translated on a nationwide scale.
“You all play a very important role in the life of tourism in the Philippines. Never think that your role is confined to the confines of your office because the impact of the work that each and every single person does in the Department of Tourism is nationwide. So, I urge you that in everything that you do, always make sure that you do it with love, love of our country, love for the Filipino people, and love for yourselves and your families, because we’re doing important work here,” Frasco said.
She concluded her speech by manifesting the unequivocal support to such initiatives that would put a premium on tourism in the Philippines, thereby becoming “stewards for the environment.”
“And the trees that we are planting today, we are contributing to the good work that Sir Toto and the Dumagat community had safeguarded all these many decades. They truly are an example to be emulated. You can rest assured of my and the Department of Tourism’s unequivocal support to bring in more tourists and to educate them through you all the importance of being stewards for the environment,” Frasco concluded.
