Delivering her message during the closing day of the DOT Year-end Assessment of Plans and Programs and Presentation of the FY 2023 Work and Financial Plan (WFP) on Friday (Nov. 25) in Cebu City, Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco personally thanked the officials and employees of the Department’s Central and Regional Offices for their hard work and efforts made in the past year.
According to the tourism chief, this contributed to the facilitation of the country’s continual tourism recovery, which was demonstrated by the successful breaching of the 1.7 million international visitor arrivals, launching of new DOT projects under its seven main objectives and key strategies, as well as the many accolades received by the country and key tourism destinations throughout the year.
Secretary Frasco, who was also recently ranked third among the list of top-performing cabinet officials of the current administration of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. by an independent survey, attributed this citation to the entire Department.
“I never could have done what we’ve done in the past few months had it not been for you and for your hard work. That’s also an acclaim that you should proudly carry upon your shoulders, knowing how hard you all have worked since we set the direction for the Department when we first met, as I assumed the position,” Secretary Frasco said.
In sustaining the tourism gains and milestones achieved so far under her leadership and in working towards the achievement of the President’s vision for the Philippine tourism industry, Secretary Frasco ordered the DOT’s operating units to ensure that the Department’s budget allocation for FY 2023 is maximized to the fullest by anchoring plans and programs to the Department’s objectives and strategies, establishing a close working relationship with attached agencies and Local Government Units, and effectively carrying out Public-Private Partnership (PPP) as a modality, among others.
Held from 24-25 November 2022 at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Cebu City, the activity apprised DOT Central and Regional officials, and planning and budget officers on relevant topics including the salient points of the DOT Planning and Budgeting Thrust for FY 2023, and the various guidelines on the proper preparation of budget and planning, as well as project monitoring and evaluation requirements.
In encouraging all the operating units and regional offices to continue the hard work and the aggressive pace taken by the administration in the period of recovery post-pandemic, Secretary Frasco said “one more day of the tourism industry waiting to recover is one day too late, knowing how much has been lost in the past three years, and how much we still have to catch up to.”
