Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, good evening.

Prime Minister of Britain, David Cameron has once referred to tourism as fundamental in the rebuilding and rebalancing of our economy. Some countries consider tourism as one of the pillars of their economy. We may not be there yet, at least for this district. But it doesnt mean that we are not on our way there. When I became Congresswoman, my first agenda has been to enhance and encourage the tourism in my district. Some of my detractors espoused it to be a very shallow platform. What they fail to see, however, is that tourism is a very effective tool to alleviate poverty. Ever since then, I have been taking a proactive stance on enhancing the tourism industry in our district where tourism spots actually abound. I always believe that any given area has a tourism spot that is endemic to that particular place. It is with this mindset that we can begin enhancing the tourism in our respective places. As we may all agree, we have to find cost-efficient methods of making the most out of our tourism destinations and the best way to start is to acknowledge the peculiarity of every locality.

Surely, we cannot hopelessly dream of offering surfing spots where there are no giant waves. Instead, we make the most of what we have. In other words, let us ask ourselves, how can we create a culture of tourism? What can make tourists come back and what can they bring with them when they leave? Let us look at tourism in a bigger picture. At first glance, the tourism spots in this district appear to be heterogeneous, apparently making it hard to find cohesion and coordination. But if you look at the examples set by provinces like Bohol, Camarines Sur and Palawan, the local government units concerned were able to centralize and maximize the tourism areas in their respective places. We therefore beg the question: How can this be done? I believe that the initiative should come from the private sector. They have to think of ways to promote tourism in our district in the best way they can think possible. Not as copycats of other tourism destinations in other parts of the country, but something that we can truly call uniquely our own. Ormoc, in particular, has a lot of things to offer to her visitors. For one, we must not take it for granted that this has been the home of the biggest bike festival in the country, the Terry Larrazabal Bike Festival, for more than a decade now.

It is also the home of the sweetest pineapple. In fact, pineapple is found in almost every emblem of both private and public sector in Ormoc, even in our parish Church. For that, we can truly say that Ormoc is the pineapple capital of the Philippines, not Camarines Norte, as being claimed by Gov. Joey Salceda. Ormoc can also boast of the most delicious lechon, even better than that of Cebu or Tacloban, but we are not promoting this either. Not yet. We also have plenty of spots ideal for a zip line, such as Lake Danao - although the problem of E.Coli in its waters has rendered this plan ineffective for the time being or a shooting range and a driving range. And since Ormoc Bay is usually calm, it is also ideal for jet skiing, speed boat racing and other water sports. Aside from the great food, the beautiful spots, Ormoc should also boast of its warm people. We can package in Ormoc in a way to make it the friendliest city. The Government, for its part, should render its fullest support for this initiative through the enhancement of the peace and order situation, for one; incentives such as tax exemptions and tax credits; sound infrastructure; skills enhancement training; and, most of all, keeping the communication lines open at all times between the public and the private sector.

Tourists should, first and foremost, feel safe in their desired destinations. To be honest, my office is very serious about addressing the rising crime rates in some local government units in the district, including violations of environmental laws. Tax credits and tax exemptions, on the other hand, are an act of legislature and we all need your ideas on how we can maximize this power for the general welfare. To be sure, this will aid in lowering prices of commodities and services thus make it affordable for our potential tourists. As regards sound infrastructure, I am proud to announce that we have repaired ___ bridges, and __ roads so far. About Php100million is ready to be downloaded in the first quarter of 2012 so we can already begin paving the Bantigue-San Pablo diversion road. The budget for the airport expansion and provision of its landing lights is already at hand (announce other infrastructures accomplished). More importantly, we have to be adaptive to the changing times. What is trending nowadays? In my travels and conversations with different types of people, I can safely conclude that environmental protection is foremost. Therefore, in every step we take in moving towards progress through tourism, we have to take care of our environment.

I remember when, about a decade ago, Ormoc had been a consistent awardee of being the cleanest and greenest city in the country for a good three (3) years. Where has all that gone now? If they were able to do it then, what is stopping us from fulfilling that again? We must remember that our predecessors have kindly tried to make sure that they will leave it suitable for the future generations of this city. We are now its stewards. Therefore, I urge everyone to cooperate in this endeavor. Nothing is impossible although it may not be a paved road along the way because we have a lot of challenges to encounter. We will be breaking down the walls of graft and corruption and old habits such as laziness and even apathy among the constituents and a whole lot more. We only need to be prepared for these challenges and not be quixotic in our approach. If we are realistic about what lies ahead, it will be easier to push ourselves forward knowing that we will eventually reach our destination. It will not happen overnight or in a few months. But it will happen. Once we are able to achieve this dream of maximizing the tourism industry in our district, that is when we can truly say that tourism is one of the pillars of our economy. Needless to state, it will generate employment and businesses will thrive. Let me assure you that the changes that we are affecting and will be effecting will be felt in the generations to come.

After all, we work hard not only for ourselves, but for our children and their children. Together, we can break barriers of pessimism and apathy. Together, we can achieve the dream of seeing this district become a first class district not just in the province, not just in the region, but in the entire country. God bless you all.