Cusi to LGUs: Redefine agriculture, tourism programs as PH enters “new normal”

QUEZON CITY, July 5 (PIA) —  Energy Secretary Alfonso G. Cusi cited the need for all Local Government Units (LGUs) to re-assess their respective agriculture and tourism programs to ensure the industries’ sustained growth as the country transitions to the “new normal”  brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Cusi, who is the designated Cabinet Officer for Regional Development and Security (CORDS) for Region IV-B MIMAROPA (Mindoro-Marinduque-Romblon-Palawan), shared his views with the leaders of the provinces in the region.

This after the Department of Tourism (DOT) announced on Friday that the island of Palawan will reopen tourism gradually and will begin with a dry-run reopening, particularly in El Nido resorts.

In the MIMAROPA region, Secretary Cusi noted, agriculture and tourism are areas that the LGUs can further strengthen and develop to help the national government revive the economy, which suffered a huge loss due to the pandemic.

“Agriculture is an opportunity that we can really promote. We need food. The Department of Agriculture is working on the food security program and the region would be playing a major role in ensuring food security for the country. So this is a business that we need to re-assess to carry out our agriculture,” he said.

The Energy Chief said LGUs and the DOT can also work together to redefine tourism at this time while the country is transitioning to the “new normal” with enhanced safety protocols and standards in place to curb the spread of the COVID-19.

“The kind of standard that we are going to set for our tourism will define the kind of tourists that we are going to attract. Are we going to choose quality over quantity or numbers? That is something in the region that we need to work on,” Secretary Cusi said.

Cusi told the local officials that now is the perfect time for the LGUs to take a closer look at their various initiatives because the “new normal” allows everyone to create new things.

“It is really us that would define this and we need to work on this together,” said Secretary Cusi.

As LGUs re-assess their current projects and programs, Cusi assured the LGUs of Region IV-B that he, as their CORDS, and the DOE will be behind them as they revive their economies at the soonest possible time.

“The DOE will see to it that the delivery of energy goods and services are unhampered, knowing the importance of electricity to our everyday lives,” he pointed out. (MTQ/PIA-IDPD/DOE)