Isabela City Mayor Sitti Djalia Turabin-Hataman (2nd right) receives, along with Isabela City Tourism Officer Claudio Ramos III (right), a P20 million symbolic check from President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco on Monday, 14 April 2024. Photo courtesy of Tourism Undersecretary Myra Paz Valderrosa
ZAMBOANGA CITY (MindaNews / 16 April) – Isabela City, a component city of Basilan province, bagged the P20 million top prize for winning the 2024 Tourism Champions Challenge Mindanao Category on Monday, April 14.
Isabela Mayor Sitti Djalia Turabin-Hataman received the award handed by President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. and Tourism Secretary Ma. Esperanza Christina Frasco at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay City.
Turabin-Hataman said they are proud their proposed project, dubbed “Lampinigan SANDS: The Lampinigan Jetty Port and Leisure Development Project,” won the top prize in the Mindanao category.
“Alhamdulillah (Praise be to God),” she said.
The Department of Tourism (DOT) organized the challenge.
The other winners in the Mindanao category are Davao City, Davao del Sur for “Panunod: A Way of Life, Inherited Preservation of the Unwavering Legacy of Cultural and Sustainable Tourism of Davao City” in 2nd place; Island Garden City of Samal, Davao del Norte for “Mangrove Boardwalk and Gallery” in 3rd place; Tagum City, also in Davao del Norte for “Truly Tagum: Advancing the Benefits of an Enriched Heritage-Tourism Circuit” in 4th place; and, San Agustin, Surigao del Sur for “Tourist Catwalk at Gata to Bretania Mangrove Areas” in 5th place.
The theme for the 2024 Tourism Champions Challenge was “Tourism Infrastructure for Greater Innovation and New Tourism Opportunities.”
Five local government units (LGUs) each in Luzon and the Visayas were also declared winners.
The DOT regional offices have received 98 project proposals from 90 LGUs across the country, all with the goal of improving and advancing local tourism spots.
Ambaguio in Nueva Vizcaya and Tubigon in Bohol won the top prizes for the Luzon and Visayas categories, respectively.
The other winners in Luzon are (second to fifth) Sablayan in Occidental Mindoro, Bolinao in Pangasinan, San Jose in Romblon and Oriental Mindoro province.
The other winners in the Visayas are (second to fifth) Badian in Cebu province, Silago in Southern Leyte, Victorias City in Negros Occidental, and Panay in Capiz.
The first place winners each received P20 million; second placers, P15 million each; third placers, P10 million each; fourth placers, P8 million each; and fifth placer, P7 million each.
At the close of the awarding rites, Marcos announced that the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA), which funded the cash prizes, approved an additional P5 million for the winners.
Tourism Undersecretary Myra Paz Valderrosa, who hails from Zamboanga City, congratulated the winners, saying they were recognized by the DOT for their “exceptional work and commitment to champion Philippine tourism.”
The criteria for the challenge include resilience, inclusivity, and sustainable development (20 percent); alignment with the challenge’s theme (10 percent); project objectives and their impact on tourism (20 percent); economic and financial feasibility (20 percent); sustainability plans (15 percent); and the quality of presentation (15 percent). (Frencie Carreon / MindaNews)
