The Department of Tourism (DOT) is bent on helping the province of Rizal--known as the “Cradle of Philippine Art"--in reopening more local sites to domestic tourists.

“After being closed for several months in 2020, tourism in Rizal is slowly but surely picking up, bringing back jobs and the much-needed revenue to the province,” Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said Wednesday, March 10 during a hybrid press conference at Loreland Farm Resort, Antipolo City, Rizal.
Physically attending the presser along with the DOT chief were Rizal 1st district Rep. Michael John Duavit, Antipolo City 2nd district Rep. Resurreccion Acop, as well as other local officials that the agency has closely been coordinating in the name of tourism revival.
The DOT said it commits to provide online marketing campaigns in the new normal, enhance capacity building industry training, and sustain the flagship domestic tourism recovery program of the DOT Region 4A called the Green Corridor Initiative (GCI).
The GCI in Rizal seeks to feature the "Faith, Food, Art, Adventure, and Nature (FFAAN) Experience" tourism cluster in the province.
“Through the GCI, the City of Antipolo and the Municipalities of Angono, Taytay, and Cainta are interlinked in the safety of a travel bubble, furthering the DOT’s commitment to promote the province as a fun, sustainable and safe destination,” Puyat noted.
Puyat added that the department will continue to strictly monitor the compliance of DOT-accredited establishments with the Department of Health (DOH) public health standards as well as the DOT health and safety guidelines (HSG).
“With several ongoing initiatives to spur tourism, we have to ensure that there are adequate accredited establishments to serve and accommodate visitors. As of February 28, there are 95 accredited accommodation establishments in Region 4A, nine of which are from Rizal,” she said.
The tourism chief assured that the displaced tourism workers in the province will be aided accordingly through the Cash-For-Work Program of the DOT and the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) under the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act or Bayanihan 2.
“As of March 8, the total approved amount for cash assistance stands at Php 168,280,000.00, which I hope our tourism stakeholders and tourism workers use to help them get through this difficult time,” Puyat said.