"Turo Turismo" Tourism Senior High School Summit

The Tourism Senior High School (SHS) Summit, dubbed, “Turo-Turismo” was held on May 20, 2015 at South Palms Resort in Panglao, Bohol by the Department of Education (DepEd) Bohol Division in partnership with the Provincial Government of Bohol and the Local Government Unit of Panglao supported by the Coalitions for Change Program in Basic Education of the Australian Embassy – The Asia Foundation Partnership in the Philippines. The said summit brought together different stakeholders from the province of Bohol and other divisions in Region VII to develop work-plans for curriculum contextualization and immersion policies for the Senior High School (SHS) program with Tourism as the focus industry.

In attendance were officials from DepEd Central Office, the Undersecretary for Regional Operations, Usec Rizalino Rivera and Assistant Secretary for Planning and Development, Asec Jesus Mateo Lorenzo as well as the Kto12 technical assistants. DepEd Region VII was represented by Dr. Luz Jandayan, the Education Program Supervisor of the Curriculum and Learning Management Division.  The biggest delegation was from DepEd Bohol led by Superintendent Dr. Wilfreda D. Bongalos together with the curriculum specialists and other division heads.  All the nineteen (19) divisions in Region VII attended the summit including Cebu Province, Negros Oriental Province, Siquijor Province, Cebu City, Naga, Mandaue, Lapulapu, Bogo, Talisay, Carcar, Toledo, Danao, Tanjay, Dumaguete City, Bayawan, Guihulngan, Siquijor, Tagbilaran City. Aside from the DepEd officials, The Asia Foundation was represented by Ms. Christine Bantug, Coalitions for Change Program Leader, and the Australian Embassy by Ms. Joji Abot-Camelon, Senior Program Officer. Representatives from the resorts and higher education institutions (HEI) were also well represented. 

 In her welcome message, Panglao Mayor Leonila Montero underscored the importance of tourism in Panglao and Bohol and how tourism is indeed a good laboratory to prepare the youth for quality employment and a better life.

 DepEd Usec for Regional Operations, Rizalino Rivera, could not have put it more aptly when he said he hopes participants will be able to look back years from now and realize how instrumental they have been in this major reform in education. Rivera shares how as consultant back in 1995 he was able to work with the dynamic duo of then Gov. Rene Relampagos and Vice Gov. and now Gov. Edgar Chatto when Bohol was shaping its direction towards development. He cites this most successful initiative, seeing what Bohol has become now, as an example for the rest of the country, that development is possible when you dream and want it enough. He relates this to making learning relevant through a conscious effort to involve industry experts, LGUs, and NGOs in terms of linking education towards global competitiveness.

The governor, for his part, reiterates commitment and support for educational reforms under the K-12 program of the DepEd, the Turo-Turismo, a multi-sector tourism senior high school summit, just one strand of the Tech Voc sector, but tourism as a major and a growing global industry.

Participants of Turo-Turismo did workshops on curriculum contextualization and immersion policy specific for tourism based Senior High School that led to the development of workplans which can be useful in the preparation for the full implementation of the Senior High School in 2016.

After the summit was the groundbreaking of the Tourism Senior High School facility at Lourdes National High School and turn-over of books from Books for Asia supported by the Australian Embassy - The Asia Foundation Partnership in the Philippines.