DUMAGUETE CITY, Negros Oriental, Philippines (PIA) — The National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) in Region 7, along with Negros Oriental’s Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) conducted a budget briefing for the purpose of including Negros Oriental in the Tourism Development Master Plan in the national level.

Currently, Negros Oriental province is outside the loop where the P850 million budget allocated for tourism in the Central Visayas region this year is concerned, with only Cebu getting P350 million and Bohol P500 million for tourism-related activities.

Stressed Third District Rep. Henry Pryde Teves, “We need to be more aggressive, and we need to have our own tourism development plan to submit for funding.”

Subsquently, the provincial SP, led by Vice Governor Apolinario Arnaiz submitted a proposal for Governor Roel Degamo to issue an executive order creating a Technical Working Group (TWG) that would craft a tourism master plan guiding Negrenses here in crafting out tourism-related programs and projects.

The proposed TWG will be composed of point persons from such agencies as NEDA Region-7, Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Department of Tourism (DoT), the Negros Oriental SP, the Provincial Tourism Office (PTO), Provincial Planning and Development Office (PPDO) , Negros Oriental Tourism Council (NOTC), mayors, and other stakeholders.

The completed master plan will be submitted to NEDA for proposed funding by the Regional Development Council (RDC).

According to NEDA regional head Efren Carreon, “there are a lot of potential tourist spots that promote employment and economic gains in the province.”

Carreon said that NEDA must be willing to provide technical assistance to enhance the Master Plan so that when the province is included in the national budget, a tourism circuit will be developed.

“This means, one tourism destination in a municipality will be connected to another town attraction, so that there will be a more efficient, organized way of linking one destination to another,” said the regional NEDA official.