RDC Chair suggests tapping of showbiz personalities in promo of EV's tourist sites

(This news item appears in today's edition of the Leyte-Samar Daily Express)

TACLOBAN CITY — A top official of the Regional Development Council (RDC) urged tourism stakeholders to tap popular television and showbiz personalities from Eastern Visayas in the promotion of local tourism sites.

However, there’s a need to develop the destinations first before it will be prepared for better marketing opportunities, said RDC chair and Calbayog City Mayor Mel Senen Sarmiento.

“We have friends from showbiz industry that we haven’t probably took advantage of. Samar Island, for example, has three very powerful Samareños in the industry,” he explained in a recent media briefing.

Among the famous personalities who hail from Samar Island are Ricky Lo from Las Navas, Northern Samar; Chito Roño from Calbayog City, Samar; and Boy Abunda from Borongan, Eastern Samar.

“We have many natural wonders but we have to think of how are we going to package it and list down priorities. There should be a marketing person with full trust and confidence of all local government officials to help package the whole region,” he said.

Lo is one of the most highly respected and prolific entertainment writers, showbiz commentators and hosts in the Philippines today. He finished his grade school in his hometown of Las Navas.

Abunda is a journalist, talent manager and television personality. After the death of his father, he dropped out of school and later worked as assistant stage manager. After two years, he put up his own PR company. While doing PR consulting jobs for GMA Network, he tried television.

Soon, he became one of the hosts of Startalk, an entertainment talk show. In 1999, he subsequently moved to ABS-CBN where he currently hosts shows such as The Buzz, Private Conversations and SNN.

Movie director Chito Roño is a native of Calbayog City. Among the popular films he directed since 1986 were Patayin Sa Sindak Si Barbara, Bata, bata...Paano Ka Ginawa?, Dekada ‘70, Feng Shui, Sukob, Caregiver, and T2.

“They are there but what will be their role if we cannot offer something,” Sarmiento pointed out. The challenge, according to him is to upgrade existing tourism sites and set up facilities so that it will be ready for intensive promotion.

He stressed that the region has more advantage than other areas in the Visayas in terms of tour considering that all of the six provinces in the region could be reached by land from Tacloban City. (Sarwell Q. Meniano)