THE CITY Tourism Operations Office (CTOO) won P15 million worth of grants as a second placer for the Tourism Champions Challenge (TCC) for the Panunod Project: Preservation of the Unwavering Legacy of Cultural and Sustainable Tourism of the Davao City Kadayawan Village.
The awarding ceremony was held at the Philippine International Convention Center on Apr. 15 and spearheaded by the Department of Tourism (DOT), President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., and local government units from Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.
According to CTOO, Davao City’s infrastructure project will soon be situated at Ramon Magsaysay Park, where they will soon establish a cultural peace hub for the Indigenous and Bangsa Communities. The project will also put up a centralized cultural center and sustainable communities dedicated to showcasing economic opportunities for the arts and products of the city’s 11 ethnolinguistic tribes.
DOT allocated P180 million for the TCC, which was conceptualized in collaboration with the Department’s infrastructure arm, the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA).
In her speech, DOT Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco said TCC is designed to unleash the potential of cities and municipalities across the Philippines.
“This is done by inviting them to propose innovative tourism infrastructure projects that aim to foster sustainability, inclusivity, and resilience in tourism development, enhancing our local destinations and communities and most importantly, providing added economic opportunity for our communities nationwide,” Frasco said.
Out of almost 100 entries from LGUs across the Philippines, 15 winning proposals from Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao were awarded: P20 million for the first place; P15 million for the second place; P10 million for the third place; P8 million for the fourth place; and PHP7 million for the fifth place.
The President also approved the grant of an additional P5 million for each winner.
“This project will receive a grant of 15M plus an additional 5M, totaling a 20M fund to jumpstart the initiative,” CTOO stated.
Among the awarded infrastructure projects in Mindanao were also Isabela City, Basilan (first place), Island Garden City of Samal, Davao del Norte (third place), and San Agustin, Surigao del Sur (fifth place).
(photo from Department of Tourism – Davao Region)
