Secretary of Tourism Christina Garcia-Frasco (left) and Governor of Cebu Gwendolyn Garcia (2nd from left) lead the inaugural ceremony for the tourist rest area projects in the cities of Medellin and Carmen in northern Cebu today , October 8th. | Wenilyn Tarpon
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Two Tourist Rest Areas (TRAs) will soon go up in North Cebu, providing local and international travelers with a whole new kind of experience and convenience.
On Saturday, October 8, 2022, Secretary Christina García-Frasco of the Department of Tourism (DOT) led the inauguration of the two TRAs in the province of Cebu located in the cities of Medellín and Carmen.
These are just two of 10 pilot TRAs to be built at strategic locations in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.
These TRAs are among the many TRA facilities DOT intends to establish across the country, as part of its efforts to boost the country’s tourism industry.
The TRA project is also a flagship program of Frasco, which highlights the provision of clean and comfortable rooms for tourists in transit to different tourist destinations.
TRA facilities also have tourist information centers, cafes, charging stations, and “pasalubong centers” that display various local products and native artifacts that will highlight native crafts.
The project is in partnership with the Tourism Infrastructure and Business Zone Authority (TIEZA) and local government units, which will finance the construction of the TRAs.
Each TRA here in Cebu has a budget of P7 million.
Innovative, signature MOA
While the deadline for opening all 10 TRAs is before the end of the year, the DOT said they also hoped to be able to open some of these TRAs by the end of the year.
Frasco was joined at the opening ceremony and signing of the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) by her mother, Governor Gwendolyn Garcia, TIEZA Director of Operations Mark Lapid, Cebu District 5 Representative Duke Frasco, District 4 of Cebu, Janice Salimbangon, the mayor of Medellín, Joven Mondigo, and Carmen Mayor Carlo Villamor.
DOT-7 Director Shahlimar Hofer Tamano also participated in the event.
The MOA implies the tripartite agreement on the establishment and maintenance of the TRA between the DOT, TIEZA and the LGU where the TRA is located.
“Buot nato nga ang atong mga tourist malipayon. Hapsay ilang paglawig ug hamugaway ang ilang kahimtang tungod kay ato mang nakita nga ang Sugbo mao g’yod ang number one sa tourism sa tibuok Pilipinas. Angay lamang gayud nga magbutang kita og mga Tourist Rest Areas,” Frasco said during his speech.
(We want our tourists to be happy. Their trip will be orderly and their situation will be comfortable because we saw that Cebu is really the number one in tourism in the Philippines. It is correct that we place Tourist Rest Areas).
Governor Garcia, for her part, also thanked Secretary Frasco for prioritizing Cebu in her programs aimed at promoting tourism.
As a parent, she also expressed her pride in Frasco for starting this program within her first 100 days on the job.
DOT also held groundbreaking ceremonies for TRAs in Mindanao, including for Manolo Fortich in Bukidnon and Samal Island in Davao del Norte, on Friday, October 7.
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