• CHRYSEE G. SAMILLANO
The Bacolod Sangguniang Panlungsod is urging the City Tourism Office and other concerned agencies to intensify the implementation of City Ordinance No. 895 against illegal travel and tour operators, and is also encouraging residents of Bacolod City to only patronize legitimate travel and tour services.
The resolution authored by Jason Isidro Villarosa said that on May 15, 2019, the SP passed C.O. 895, or “An ordinance requiring all primary tourism enterprises to secure accreditation from the Department of Tourism (DOT) prior to application of business permit,” to ascertain the compliance of all primary tourism enterprises that are operating in Bacolod City, including those that offer travel and tour services and other transport services that are exclusively for tourist use.
Since the laxed travel restrictions post-pandemic, travel opportunities with affordable offers emerged and were made readily to the public, mostly via Facebook and other online platforms, by travel and travel operators that do not have the required DOT accreditations and business permits, it said.
There has also been a proliferation of unregistered tourist transport vehicles or colorum vans that are being used for travel and tour purposes within the city, as well as to and from neighboring cities and municipalities in the province, the resolution said.
The City of Bacolod heavily values the importance of tourism and recognizes that DOT accreditations are necessary to ensure the quality of the services being offered by all travel and tour operators, and their non-compliance will potentially introduce adverse effects to the image of Bacolod City, it said.
For the protection of legitimate travel and tour operators and Bacolod City’s tourism industry, the heightened apprehension of these illegal travel and tour operators has become necessary, the resolution said.
Therefore the SP is strongly urging the City Tourism Office, the City Treasurer’s Office, the Permits and Licensing Division, and the City Legal Office to intensify the implementation of C.O. No. 895 against illegal travel tour operators in Bacolod City, it added.*