LEGAZPI CITY, Albay (PIA) -- The Albay Provincial Tourism, Culture and Arts Office (PTCAO) has reported a surge in local tourism during the national assembly of vice governors. 

For the first time, the province of Albay hosted the national assembly of the League of Vice Governors of the Philippines (LVGP) from February 29 to March 2. 

“We projected to gain P300,000 – P400,000 from the event for tourism alone,” PTCAO head Dorothy Colle said. 

Colle said they were able to showcase Albay to the counterparts of their vice governor to turn them into ambassadors for returning tourists. 

The boost in local tourism and economy was one of the major reasons Vice Gov. Glenda Ong-Bongao gave for her bid to host the gathering. 

“I also tapped the Department of Trade and Industry to set up a souvenir booth in the hotel to showcase all the products of Albay. It's indeed a big help to our local business owners,” she said.

Lawyer Katherine Agapay, the vice governor of Laguna and president of LVGP, expressed amazement at the warm welcome they received from the Albayanos.

“We are very happy that Vice Gov. Glenda accepted the challenge of hosting the assembly. We are very amazed by the warm welcome of the Albayanos,” Agapay said. 

Apart from promoting local tourism sites, food, and culture, the vice governors have committed to adopting the disaster risk reduction and management (DRRM) best practices of Albay, as well as learning more about resilience building.

According to Bongao, the vice governors themselves have requested that DRRM be included in the plenary session.

"It is the first time for Albay to host and we are enjoying it immensely.  I will suggest to my board members to come back here for benchmarking of the best practices that you have particularly on disaster risk management,” said Ilocos Norte Vice Governor Cecilia Araneta-Marcos.

“Once a typhoon exits the country, it passes over the Ilocos region so it’s the same thing that we have. That’s one area that we can learn from you and whatever it is that you do for your constituents,” Marcos, also LVGP executive vice president, said.

Albay Gov. Edcel Lagman welcomes the vice governors during their plenary session. At right, Ilocos Norte Vice Governor and LVGP Executive Vice president Cecilia Araneta-Marcos introduces the participants. (Photos from Gov. Lagman)

Some of the highlights of the event included a plenary session where updates on anti-poverty programs and projects were discussed, as well as an overview of Albay's practices on disaster risk reduction and management. 

Additionally, the participants had the opportunity to visit Albay's tourism sites, such as Cagsawa Park, Bicol National Museum, Farm Plate, Sumlang Lake, Quituinan Ranch, and the giant statue of Nuestra Señora de Salvacion, the patroness of Albay. (PIA5/Albay)