Industry stakeholders threaten boycott of Tourism Congress polls (UPDATED)

(Former DOT Secretary Narzalina Lim.)

A number of tourism stakeholders who had earlier planned to attend the upcoming Tourism Congress elections on Friday, November 11, at the Philippine International Convention Center, are now planning to withdraw their participation in the said event.

The group, which includes former Tourism Secretary Narzalina Lim and former Philippine Stock Exchange president Jose Luis Yulo Jr., who owns an accredited tourism enterprise, decried an alleged breach of an agreement forged by Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez Jr. between warring factions in the industry. That agreement had paved the way for new elections to be convened and overseen by the Department of Tourism, and not by the current Tourism Congress headed by its president Alma Jimenez.

Under the old Tourism Congress, only accredited “aggrupations” were invited to participate in the election of its officers in 2009, and not the more than 1,000 enterprises that are supposedly on record. A number of stakeholders have alleged that the old TC board did not truly represent all sectors in the industry, such as those of hotels and restaurants. (The rest in InterAksyon, Nov. 9, 2011.)

Letter of former DOT Secretary Narzalina Lim to Undersecretary Daniel Corpuz, withdrawing participation in the Tourism Congress here.

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Yes! this was my first story in InterAksyon, the online news portal of TV5. Watch out for more of my stories there. :)

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UPDATE: Tourism Congress elects new officers, InterAksyon, Nov. 11, 2011