Frasco commits to promote San Juan heritage sites
TOURISM Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco has committed to promote San Juan’s heritage and historical sites by including the local government in the Department of Tourism’s (DOT) hop-on hop-off tours project.
Frasco, who attended the commemoration of the 125th Philippine Independence Day at the Pinaglabanan Memorial Shrine in San Juan, Manila said the move is expected to further advance the country’s tourism industry.
Both Frasco and San Juan Mayor Francis Zamora pledged their collaboration after the ceremonial wreath-laying and offering of flowers at the Spirit of Pinaglabanan.
“Today’s theme is Kalayaan, Kinabukasan, Kasaysayan. K-K-K. Wagering a different battle at a different time, with different personalities. Centuries ago, the Filipinos fought for freedom from colonizers, now we are free and yet the fight continues. Together, we shall move towards a future, where every Filipino is given an opportunity to succeed. Where every Filipino family is given an opportunity to live a decent life under the Administration of our President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr., who envisions such economic prosperity for our nation,” said the tourism chief.
Frasco also said that the ceremony is a reminder of the significance of the strength of spirit of the Filipinos where the first battle of the Philippine Revolution occurred against the Spanish colonizers.
Zamora thanked Frasco for assisting the local government of San Juan for its planned inclusion in the Hop-On Hop-Off tour which will feature historical sites and art galleries as tourist attractions all throughout the metro.
Last May, the DOT launched the Hop-On Hop-Off program that seeks to provide tourists–particularly group travelers and fully independent individual travelers (FITs)–with convenience and flexibility on when and how they will tour a destination through a seamless, contactless transport and tour booking system. San Juan’s inclusion in this program is said to bolster the cultural, arts, and historical portfolio of the country as it will also feature the 140-year-old historic underground tunnel beneath the Pinaglabanan Memorial Shrine, the El Deposito tunnel.
