DOT SEC. TEO LEADS CLEANING OF THE HISTORIC WALLED CITY

DOT CLEANS UP INTRAMUROS

                    By: Dee Mandigma

Tourism Secretary Wanda Corazon Tulfo-Teo directs the Department of Tourism’s (DOT) attached agency, Intramuros Administration, to start the “general cleaning” of the historic Walled City on Friday, 4 November 2016. 

According to Secretary Teo, part of the clean-up drive in Intramuros is to relocate informal settlers to a social housing project in Cavite, while informal vendors, vagrants, and pedicabs will be regularized. 

“Manila’s historic Intramuros district, the Old Manila, is not only picturesque but also steep in rich colonial history. It is our mandate in tourism to ensure that the beauty and history of our country’s historical sites like the Walled City would remain vibrant. Our role to both sell and preserve is but crucial, as the demand is only as good as the product,” the tourism chief said in a statement.

She hopes that this redevelopment of Intramuros would “encourage the private sector and other stakeholders to work together in conserving and raising the standards of both our tangible and intangible cultural heritage for the next generation of Filipinos to see and appreciate. We should embrace change without losing our national identity.” 

DOT is all set to restore and utilize various sites inside Intramuros such as the Maestranza Park and the Clamshell Tent to become venues for events, cultural shows and concerts to attract tourists, while fostering unity and cooperation among the Intramuros stakeholders at the same time. Other DOT attached agencies are likewise pitching in their share in reviving Intramuros.

 

Participating in the clean-up are the educational institutions, business locators and barangays in Intramuros.  Giving their full support are the Naval Reserve Command, Intramuros Fire Station, Club Intramuros Golf Course, MMDA, DPWH and Manila-DPS. Also lending a hand are Intramuros security provider Lockheed Security Agency, Friends of Imelda Romualdez Marcos (FIRM),  Rotary Club of Fort Santiago, and other NGOs.(VerGarciaBlogs)