DAPITAN CITY, ZAMBOANGA DEL NORTE – Dapitan City, the top tourist destination in Zamboanga Peninsula, received a significant boost in tourism after hosting the Foreign Armed Forces Attaché (FAFA) Corps from October 6 to 9, 2023, for the 2nd Semester FAFA Tour.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines, under the leadership of Chief of Staff Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr., along with Deputy Chief of Staff for Intelligence MGEN Ferdinand Barandon and Western Mindanao Command (WESTMINCOM) Commander MGEN Steve Crespillo, conducted the activity that aimed at informing the FAFA Corps about the current security situation in the country.
Present were 16 Defense Attachés and Assistant DefenseAttachés/Secretaries from Australia, Brunei, China, Indonesia, Israel, Korea, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Spain, Thailand, Turkey, Vietnam, Germany, and Poland.
Mayor Seth Frederick Jalosjos is optimistic that after successfully hosting the FAFA Corps, the travel ban advisory by most countries on places in Mindanao, particularly Dapitan, will be lifted, and soon the city will be enjoying international tourist arrivals that will help boost its economy.
“I think there’s been not a shade of doubt that this is a very safe and secure place for all of us to come here and enjoy the beauty of this place. [Dapitan] is a hidden gem that not many people speak about in the Philippines. We’ve spoken about El Nido, of course, Coron, and Boracay. But I think Dapitan City is very undermined, and it should rise to the top,” Singaporean DefenseAttaché to the Philippines and Dean of FAFA Corps Col. Geajaindren Mariapan said on Saturday, October 7, during their historical tour of the Museo ni Rizal sa Dapitan, or Rizal Shrine.
The City Government of Dapitan leveraged the occasion to underscore the area’s reputation for a low crime rate and seized the opportunity to demonstrate the tranquil ambiance and hospitable community that characterize the city.
“It has been a wonderful experience so far, both in terms of safety and in terms of hospitality and cultural experience. After this, we will be learning about how Dapitan and Zamboanga [delNorte] as a whole will move forward in the economic sense of things, and at the same time, we will also be learning about how the WESTMINCOM is doing its part in the military aspect to boost the economy in this area,” Mariapan added.
