Much weeping and gnashing of teeth continue in China, especially in Hong Kong as residents mourn for compatriots who perished in the Quirino Grandstand carnage last Monday. But angry complaining and crying can also be heard from domestic tour operators who consider the botched rescue operation a major, major setback to the tourism industry. Upon learning of tour cancellations in resort facilities and hotels, one travel executive told me, maayong ihilak (I feel like crying).
The documentation of government efforts to attract foreign tourists depicts the performance of concerned state agencies but oftentimes official reports don?t carry the hard work poured in by private stakeholders. In order for the industry to catch up with key players in Asia like Indonesia, Vietnam, Bangkok and Malaysia among others, I know of friends in the business who would drop everything to join conferences, out-of-town tour expositions, and study programs including small group meetings with local and foreign counterparts. Massive commitment is required to keep abreast with tourism trends to be at par with key competitors in product development and marketing strategies.
The Philippines competes with Asian neighbors to attract Japanese, European and North American tourists. These markets are very sensitive to security issues that they act almost instinctively when they hear of terrorist attacks, a high incidence of criminal activities and health hazards in foreign shores. They have no need for a travel advisory from their governments in analyzing the risks of say, going to Manila, after what happened to the Hong Kong tourists, or India after the medical journal, The Lancet, reported that a new form of drug resistant ?superbug? has infected patients who have travelled to that country.
For weeks now India, considered a prime destination for cost-effective medical tourism has been plagued by reports that tourists seeking treatment in India or Asia for that matter ?are bringing home a dangerous type of bacterial infection that's resistant to nearly all known antibiotics?. The Indian health ministry has gone to great lengths to reject the findings of British scientists but the ?superbug? crisis is seen to deal a serious blow to their tourism industry.
What happened last Monday is not the first time the country?s tourism industry suffered a setback. In the past, problems brought about by a lingering insurgency problem, kidnapping and terrorist activities have added a hurdle and kept the industry weak, but the latest hostage taking blunder takes the cake. It did not only expose the ineptness of the police, but it also highlighted the lack of leadership in government.
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Last Wednesday, my kasambahay or house help fell victim to a budol-budol syndicate in the area near the St. Joseph parish church in Tabunok, Talisay City. I usually send Apple Jean on early morning errands and on that fateful morning, she was on her way to the public market when a woman, pretending to be in a dire situation, accosted her. A few minutes later, they were joined by another woman who piped in a story that, while on her way to a huge delivery of fresh fish, her vehicle bogged down kuno.
The ruse was for Apple Jean to secure a pile of money placed in a bag while they were to look for a repair man who will fix the vehicle. To make the long, albeit now overly familiar scam story short, my house help lost her cell phone and some cash to the con artists.
We had the incident entered in the Talisay City police blotter immediately. In the process, I gathered feedback that there has been a rash of swindling activities in this southern city. I don?t know if Mayor Soc Fernandez is aware about the situation because according to a source, a similar incident happened near Gaisano, Tabunok weeks ago.
The alleged victim was a 16-year-old lad, who was sent by his mother to withdraw a large sum of money from the ATM. The hairy tongue of a swindler must have told a convincing story enough for the unsuspecting victim to part with some P30,000. The latest victim, according to PO1 Jundave David, who was tasked by Talisay City Police Office Chief, Supt. Henry Binas to look into the series of rip offs in the area, is a prominent Talisay resident who lost P400,000 to the syndicate.
In other words, what happened to the latest victim is not an isolated case. That these criminals ply their evil trade in the heart of the city means they?re doing so with impunity. I find it worrisome that these con artists are striking in places where huge crowds converge on a daily basis, but where police visibility is rather low. I hope Supt. Binas takes a more pro-active stance in addressing this problem and not allow it to worsen simply because of office hassles like lack of resources. There has to be a way, but first our police should be determined to capture the rogues.
I know there is a slim chance that Apple Jean could recover her cell phone but when I asked media friends like Jhunnex Napallacan to call the attention of the Talisay City Police Office to the appalling situation, it is to warn our people. It has often been said that forewarned is forearmed.
