Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rex Gatchalian (2L) and Department of Tourism (DOT) Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco (2R) sign a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) for the implementation of the “Bayanihan sa Bukas na may Pag-asa sa Turismo” (BBMT) program together with DOT Undersecretary Shahlimar Hofer Tamano (1R) and DSWD Secretary Diana Rose Cajipe (1L). (Photo Courtesy of DOT)
QUEZON CITY, (PIA) – The Department of Tourism (DOT) has partnered with the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) for the implementation of the “Bayanihan sa Bukas na may Pag-asa sa Turismo” (BBMT) program for disaster-affected tourism frontline workers.
Under the BBMT program, tourism workers affected by natural calamities, disasters, and emergencies will be eligible to avail of the existing cash assistance programs of the DSWD and the alternative livelihood training programs of the DOT.
“Tourism is such a reliable source of livelihood and a reliable pillar of our economy that notwithstanding climate-related disasters, it can continue to provide a source of employment and income,” said Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco, emphasizing that the partnership with the DSWD has been instrumental in capacitating the DOT to cater to the welfare needs of tourism workers.
Eligible tourism frontliners will receive financial assistance through the Emergency Cash Transfers (ECT) and Cash for Work employment opportunities of the DSWD while undergoing the basic livelihood training assistance of the DOT which include candle-making, beads and artwork training, bread and pastry making, fun farm tour product development, tourism awareness and tourist reception seminar, community-based kulinarya, and the Filipino brand of Service Excellence (FBSE), among others.
The BBMT primarily seeks to cater to qualified disaster-affected tourism workers listed under the National Household Targeting System for Poverty Reduction (NHTS-PR) or Listahanan 3, to ensure that the program will be responsive in identifying beneficiaries who are most in need of social protection.
Aside from Listahanan, the BBMT will also be extended to other qualified household beneficiaries under any of the standardized or unified targeting systems of the DSWD.
Other potential beneficiaries include resident workers in tourism destinations or attractions, members of a community-based tourism organization, and identified tourism service providers affected by calamities or emergencies that disrupted their livelihood.
DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian, for his part, underscored the crucial role of the BBMT program in not only facilitating the empowerment of the tourism sector but also in ensuring the efficient use of government resources by extending the necessary assistance to as many communities as possible.
“It is unfortunate to witness the devastating impacts of calamities in our poor communities. Part of these communities that are directly affected whenever we have disasters are the workers in the tourism center since their families, homes, and properties are not the only ones that are affected, but also their way of life,” said Gatchalian.
“We are very excited that this partnership is a synergy of your vision with our mandate and making sure that we efficiently use government resources to reach as many communities to help as to many distinct communities there are in the country,” he added, signifying gratitude for the partnership with the DOT.
The pilot implementation of the BBMT Program was held in February and May 2024, to provide financial and training assistance to the victims of widespread flooding in several areas of Davao and Caraga region.
To date, the DSWD and DOT is extending the program to tourism workers affected by the recent eruption of Mt. Kanlaon in Negros Occidental. (JMP/PIA-NCR)
