CEBU CITY – Dapitan City has reached out to various stakeholders in Cebu in a bid to promote not just its rich culture and heritage but also the life and works of national hero Dr. Jose P. Rizal.
MARK Lloyd Jamelo (left), Executive Assistant to the Chairman of Glorious Fantasyland Complex and General Manager of Unlimited Fun in Dapitan, and Apple Marie Agolong, tourism officer of Dapitan, visit Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama during their recent trip in Cebu to promote Dapitan. (Contributed photo)
Dapitan tourism officer Apple Marie Agolong had a series of meetings with local officials and university administrators in Cebu to showcase what the “Shrine City of the Philippines” has to offer.
“This is not just a simple tour but the main purpose of this is to reignite the passion and interest of the Filipino people in Dr. Jose Rizal,” Agolong said of her recent visit to Cebu.
Agolong was accompanied by Mark Lloyd Jamelo, the Executive Assistant to the Chairman of Glorious Fantasyland Complex and General Manager of Unlifudap (Unlimited Fun in Dapitan).
She is hoping that with the help of local government units and universities, Dapitan’s tourism packages will be included in their cultural immersion program as part of “Lakbay Aral.”
“We lobbied to Mayor Michael Rama, to the vice mayor, city council, and tourism officers to help us to endorse Dapitan in their Lakbay Aral,” said Agolong.
The Unlimited Fun in Dapitan (UnliFuDap) and Visitamos Rizal are Dapitan’s key tourism packages.
Agolong said tapping Cebu to promote Dapitan, where Rizal lived as a political exile from 1892 to 1896, is the best way to promote the city.
“Cebu is on top in terms of heritage and putting tourism and heritage in their proper place. There is an in sync in Cebu. When Cebu City is being promoted, it cascades to neighboring areas and it is worthy of emulation,” said Agolong.
Agolong described the Cebu visit as fruitful as government and university officials welcomed the idea of promoting Dapitan and in the process promote the national hero’s exploits.
“They welcomed it. They are sold out to the idea to reintroduce Rizal. I talked with Mayor Rama and I told him that what we are asking is to recommend Dapitan to the universities,” said Agolong.
Jamelo thanked the Cebu City government and universities for opening their doors to Dapitan.
“In behalf of our Chairman, Mr. Romeo Jalojos Sr., we want to express our sincerest appreciation to the City of Cebu, to Mayor Mike Rama, and the members of the city council, to the City Tourism Commission officer, Niel Odchigue, and to the tourism office of the province of Cebu for giving us the time to present the legacy project of our chairman – The Visitamos Rizal,” said Jamelo.
Jamelo said the trip was a “demonstration of the power of collaboration between the private sector, the local government, and its agencies in driving meaningful projects fostering a sense of national pride.”