THE TECHNICAL Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) provides Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) to TESDA-administered schools that include diploma programs. The Philippine Women’s College of Davao is one of TESDA’s partner schools that offer school-based programs namely Travel Management Services Technology (TMST), Hotel and Restaurant Technology (HRT), and Fashion Technology (FT).
The PWC TVET scholars under the TMST Program went on an Educational Day Tour to Kapatagan and Balutakay in Davao del Sur. This trip is part of their activities for their Global Tourism, Geography & Culture, and Philippine Tourism Geography & Culture courses. The scholars, together with their instructors visited DENR’s Mt. Apo Protected Area Management Office, Kubali’s Art Garden, Jardin de Senorita, Holyland, and Dekada Café.
The Mt. Apo Protected Management office is responsible for the day-to-day management, protection, and administration of the protected area. The Assistant Superintendent of the PAMO, Paul Rodney Arbiol, gave the students a talk on the role of the office. He also discussed the importance of Mt. Apo to our tourism industry.
Their biologist, Ralph Jesaiah D. Semblante, gave a talk on the different flora and fauna found in Mt. Apo. The scholars were also fortunate to meet the superintendent himself, Archelito L. Mallari, PhD.
For Travel Management students, Mt. Apo Protected Area is an excellent place to visit for an educational tour because it is an iconic site. Mt. Apo, with an elevation of 2,954 meters above sea level, is the country’s highest mountain. It has been declared as an ASEAN Heritage Park. It is also home to several indigenous cultural communities like the Obo-Manobo and Bagobo-Tagabawa people.
The scholars also had a fun time visiting other sites in the Kapatagan-Balutakay tourism circuit. First on the list was Kublai’s Art Garden. It featured the work of multi-awarded Minadanaoan artist Kublai Millan. Next was Jardin de Senorita, a famous site among visitors because of its picturesque gardens. The students also went to see the Stations of the Cross at the Holyland.
Last but definitely not the least was Dekada Café. The place offered a nice view of two mountains from different provinces, Mt. Matutum in South Cotabato Province and of course, Mt. Apo of Davao del Sur. The scholars had a fun time looking at the antique collection of the café’s owner.
For most of the scholars, this was their first time to visit the area. Aside from the fun and excitement, they were able to learn so much from the lectures that were given by the experts themselves. This is what an educational trip gives the students, first-hand knowledge by personal observation of field situations and relate theory with reality.
