Tourism workers affected by natural disasters, calamities and emergencies can now access both financial and training assistance under a partnership between the Department of Tourism (DOT) and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).
DOT Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco and DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) to launch the Bayanihan sa Bukas na may Pag-asa sa Turismo (BBMT) program on Jan. 23, 2025.
“What the partnership with the DSWD will do is that it will capacitate the DOT as well to come in and to provide the assistance that’s necessary for them to go on with their lives and continue to have sources of livelihood,” Frasco said, noting that the partnership is the beginning of more collaborations with the DSWD.
Under the partnership, eligible tourism frontliners can access DSWD’s cash assistance programs, including Emergency Cash Transfers (ECT) and Cash for Work, while also benefiting from DOT-led alternative livelihood training programs.
The program covers skills such as basic hilot massage, candle making, beads and artwork, bread and pastry making, detergent production, farm tourism development, tourist reception, community-based culinary arts and Filipino brand of service excellence (FBSE).
The BBMT program targets tourism workers listed in the Listahanan 3 database, other qualified household beneficiaries under DSWD’s unified targeting system, or those meeting additional criteria outlined in future disaster risk reduction guidelines.
It also supports residents of tourism destinations or attractions, members of community-based tourism organizations and other affected individuals whose work in tourism services has been impacted by emergencies.
“Our tourism workers have been vital in showcasing the beauty of the Philippines. However, recent disasters, worsened by climate change, have severely impacted vulnerable communities. Beyond homes and properties, these calamities have disrupted the livelihoods of tourism workers, who are among those most affected,” Gatchalian said.
The DOT and DSWD joined the pilot run of the BBMT program, providing financial aid and training to victims of the widespread flooding that affected several areas in the Davao Region and Agusan del Sur in February 2024. Othel V. Campos
