Puyat thankful for happy ending after challenges as tourism chief

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Department of Tourism (DOT) Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat has packed her things and will be leaving a clean record with her office.

Bernadette Romulo-Puyat

“I have done everything I could,” Puyat said in an interview with ANC’s Headstart. She added she is the only tourism secretary who faced many challenges.

For instance, when Boracay was closed, “we were able to reopen Boracay better because it is so clean.” “With this, at least we end this on a note that we were able to reopen tourism.

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Despite the first two years being closed to international tourists, we were able to promote domestic tourism,” she explained.

Puyat hopes that the next DOT secretary will continue all the health and safety protocols as there was no guide or handbook for accommodation establishments, tourists destinations, and land transport.

“Maybe they can just at least adapt it or make it better,” added Puyat.

The reason why the DOT had the highest Commission on Audit rating two years in a row was, “we fixed all the processes and made sure everything was transparent,” as well as ensured that the private sector was with the DOT the whole way.

Puyat said the new variant of concern is the only thing that can derail reopening of borders.

She takes it one day at a time, and notes that many problems remain. “Right now, I keep teasing my friends that I would just be a road manager for BTS,” she said.

“It is a joke; it just means I really don’t know. I have been in government for 32 years already, I really don’t know but it’s tiring. I pray at night thinking that ‘God really gave me the Boracay closure and the (COVID-19) pandemic’,” she said.

As tourism chief, Puyat thought “I was only going to walk by the beach, see the sunset or promote, but there were challenges after challenges. But the good thing is there was a happy ending.”

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