Tacloban’s livelihood program to include tourist guide training

TACLOBAN CITY, Jan. 6 (PNA) – The city’s livelihood program will offer tourist guide training this year in support to the local tourism development thrust.

Maeflor Espiño, Cristina’s Learn and Earn Program (CLEP) coordinator said the training aims to produce registered tourist guides from the city.

CLEP, which was named after Mayor Cristina Romualdez, was launched 10 years ago during her stint as city councilor.

The new training is still in the process of accreditation by the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) to ensure high standards.

TESDA will also assess the teaching modules to ensure that the city will be able to produce well-trained tourist guides.

The training will serve as one of the turning points in promoting the tourist destinations in the city such as the San Juanico Bridge, Sto. Niño Shrine and Heritage Museum, Madonna of Japan, and remains of M/V Eva Jocelyn transformed into a super typhoon Yolanda marker. The shipwreck in Anibong district came from one of the ships that ran aground in late 2013 due to big waves.

Since Tacloban is the gateway of Eastern Visayas, CLEP plans to develop tourism livelihood and industry for Tacloban residents in coordination with the tourism department and TESDA.

The livelihood program offers courses on reflexology, manicure, pedicure, hairstyling, hair cutting, food processing, baking, cooking, dressmaking and the latest, table skirting, with 1, 538 beneficiaries who enrolled in different fields of interests.

CLEP is a comprehensive livelihood and entrepreneurial program of the city which has been a priority project in the past year, with Romualdez supervising its operations. (PNA)
FPV/SQM/Diane Mae B. Derio (OJT)