(THEPHILBIZNEWS File Photo)
With the consistent surge of foreign tourists in the Philippines, industry stakeholders see the need for the Philippines hospitality frontliners to enhance their capacity to further attract more tourists that would sustain industry recovery and growth momentum.
And two months before year-end, the Department of Tourism (DOT) breached its target of training 100,000 frontline tourism workers on the Filipino Brand of Service Excellence (FBSE), Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco announced.
Undertaken by the Office of Industry Manpower Development (OIMD), the FBSE program is one of the centerpiece programs of the Department which aims to perpetuate Filipino hospitality excellence, and is envisioned to enhance and uplift the quality of tourism services in the country. This highlights the 7Ms of Filipino values: Maka-Diyos, Makatao, Maka-Kalikasan, Makabansa, Masayahin, May Bayanihan, and May Pag-asa.
As of October 13, 2023, a total of 100,407 tourism workers, across a variety of sectors such as accommodation, travel and tour, transport, academe, MICE, farm tourism, tour guide and tourist police (TOPCOP).
To recall, the FBSE was conceptualized by the DOT in 2013 with over 13,000 trained
since its inception.
It was at the helm of Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco when she set the goal of training 100,000 Filipinos, recognizing the potential of the FBSE program to transform the Philippines into Asia’s center for hospitality excellence.
The Filipino brand demonstrates immense love, compassionate care, excellent service, and hard work beyond the call of duty— virtues that further sets the Philippines apart as a tourism destination.
“Surpassing our 100,000 target manifests the commitment of the administration of President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. to transform the tourism industry by further capacitating our country’s greatest asset – the Filipino people. Their unwavering dedication is the driving force that will propel the Philippines into a tourism powerhouse, radiating the love, warmth, and hospitality that define our nation,” said Secretary Frasco.
“We are very happy to share that less than a year since the 100,000 goal for FBSE training has been set, we have already hit more than what we aimed for. We thank our stakeholders for rising to the challenge, as well as the trainers, participants, and our partner institutions who have closely collaborated with us on this initiative,” she said.
A Culture of Excellence
Eddierose Salamero, Operations Manager of the Urban Boutique Hotel, Boracay completed the training program recently, he said “The Filipino Brand of Service Excellence training greatly empowers those of us in the hospitality sector to embody the very best of Filipino culture and to treat every guest with a heart. We are thankful to DOT Secretary Christina Frasco for pursuing the goal of training 100,000 individuals and for promoting Filipino excellence in the tourism industry.”
Meanwhile, Orly Ballesteros, a MICE professional and FBSE Level 1 Regional Trainer for DOT NCR said, “I am elated to be part of an undertaking to achieve 100,000 graduates of FBSE. Our brand promise of showing the Filipino Brand of Service Excellence to the world will be made possible because of these stakeholders. I hope that sooner than later this culture of excellence will become the norm rather than an exception.”
Mabuhay Gesture
Additionally, part of the sustained efforts to the enhancing the DOT’s FBSE initiative is the institutionalization of the use of “Mabuhay” and “Salamat” gestures through ordinances. At present, it was adopted by the provinces of Surigao Del Norte, Surigao Del Sur, Oriental Mindoro, Capiz, and the municipalities of Malay, Aklan; Bayabas, Surigao Del Sur; Loreto, Dinagat Islands; and Santa Barbara, Iloilo.
Several institutions from the sectors of travel and tours, accommodation, transport, food and beverage, meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions (MICE), as well as the government, have also advocated the FBSE culture. These included the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA), Megaworld Corporation, Enchanted Kingdom, Best Western Plus, Hilton Hotels and Resorts as well as industry partners Fastcat, Aguila Auto Glass, SM Retail, SMC Infrastructure Tollways, Jollibee, AllDay, Robinsons Malls, FIBA World Cup, and partners from the academe.