By BOY RYAN B. ZABAL
BORACAY — Policemen in this island resort were being trained to become more friendly and of service to tourists.
Sixty personnel of the Boracay Tourist Assistance Center (BTAC) were undergoing the Tourism-Oriented Police for Community Order and Protection (TOP COP) program.
This extensive education and training on tourism at the Patio Pacific Boracay resort here started on Tuesday and will end today.
TOP COP is being conducted by the Department of Tourism in partnership with the Philippine National Police for policemen assigned in travel destinations across the country.
“May puso, may smile dapat ang mga pulis natin sa bawat turista (Policemen have to smile at and must have a heart for tourists),” said Artemio Ticar, officer-in-charge of the Department of Tourism here.
BTAC personnel led by their chief, Senior Insp. Mark Evan Salvo, were being taught about, among others, Philippine history and culture, Aklan’s tourism industry profile, tourist safety and security, crisis management, and basic customer relations.
“Dapat maturuan din sila ng proper tourist handling. Dapat approachable sila, tourist-oriented police (Policemen should be taught about how to handle tourists properly. They should be approachable, tourist-oriented),” said Ticar.
Specifically, the tourism officer said, they were teaching the men in uniform on how to face and deal with visitors.
As part of the program, policemen in the island will also go on a “familiarization tour” around Boracay, Ticar said.
“Nakikita namin na ang mga pulis ay hindi familiar sa mga lugar at mga isla na malapit sa Boracay (Some policemen in the island are not familiar with places in and islets around Boracay),” he stressed. (Aklan Forum Journal/PN)
