March 29, 2024
FILIPINO BRAND OF SERVICE EXCELLENCE — To level up the quality of service of tourism frontliners in the region, the Department of Tourism-CAR signed an agreement with tourism stakeholders including the private sector, local government units, the academe, and regional line agencies to collaborate for the Filipino Brand of Service Excellence Program of the DOT which targets to train 7,000 tourism frontliners in the region on providing excellent service that banners the renowned Filipino warmth and hospitality. — Hanna Lacsamana

At least 7,000 tourism frontliners in the Cordillera are expected to level up their skills in hospitality through trainings under the Department of Tourism’s Filipino Branch of Service Excellence (FBSE) program.
The program is a nationwide initiative to develop the country’s tourism workforce to provide excellent quality services to tourists and visitors, according to DOT-CAR Director Jovy Ganongan, who led the ceremonial signing of a memorandum of agreement on March 22 for the program’s undertaking with representatives of local government units, regional line agencies, the academe, and private sector.
The FBSE program aims to train 100,000 tourism frontline workers across the country which Ganongan said is a significant step towards radically improving the delivery of the country’s tourism services.
The program emphasizes the world-renowned Filipino brand of hospitality in the provision of tourism services, a distinct trait that if properly maintained and harnessed could serve as the industry’s competitive edge.
Those undergoing the training are those who provide service directly to visitors both domestic and foreign at various touch points namely workers at entry points such as airports and bus terminals, drivers, accommodation front desk staff, dining workers, shopping attendants, vendors, security officers, and tourist police among other frontliners who are expected to make tourists feel the Filipinos’ consistent warmth and hospitality.
The academic community has also been called to support the endeavor to ensure a ready workforce when graduating hospitality students join the industry in the future.
Ganongan said the DOT-CAR has already completed 24 FBSE trainings with 1,179 trained frontliners to date and is targeting to contribute 7,000 out of the 100,000 frontliners to be trained under the FBSE program all over the country.
“We thank our partners for responding to the urgent call to build a strong human resource foundation for Cordillera tourism industry. As you may have observed, the DOT has always regarded capacity building and skills training as critical components of achieving the vision of transforming tourism into a primary engine of socio-economic recovery for the Philippines,” Ganongan said.
She added at this time when tourism destinations in the country and worldwide are vying for better positioning to recover from more than two years of hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic, it is always best for all tourism stakeholders to collaborate toward the achievement of the common vision of excellence in providing tourism service.
“The success of the FBSE’s objectives is dependent on how well the region’s will respond to the challenge of pooling resources so that the program becomes a multi-sectoral effort, not just the DOT. We are confident this program could be successfully implemented in the region as dynamic as the Cordillera where the value of cooperation, collaboration and resiliency is evident,” she said.
Ganongan added they anticipate the FBSE trainings will significantly improve the region’s and the country’s image as desirable tourist destination by using the well-known Filipino warmth and hospitality among its tourism frontliners. – Hanna C. Lacsamana