Tour-guiding summer job for students

Qualified college and high school students may be trained and then hired as tourist guides in Intramuros under a summer job program of Independent Senator Richard J. Gordon.

Gordon, chairman of the Senate tourism committee, made the announcement at the recent re-opening of WOW Philippines where the government promotes Intramuros as the country's history town.

"We are giving students an opportunity to learn and earn about what is best about themselves and their country. Tourism creates jobs, and in this instance, it will give our students an opportunity to develop a pride of place," he said.

Under the planned summer job training program envisioned by Senator Gordon, qualified college and high school students will undergo a special training program under the Department of Tourism (DoT) and Philippine Tourism Authority (PTA)..

Students who pass the training program and who have been certified by the DoT will be included in a roster of tourist guides. Tourists requesting for guides in Intramuros will be assigned student tourist guides taken from the roster.

Alternatively, student tourist guides will be assigned to man areas within popular tourist areas in Intramuros where any tourist can hire them on the spot.

"In order to do a good job as tour guides, students will have to learn a lot about Intramuros and the history of their country. It will be an opportunity for them to discover that we have a heritage of greatness and their history is replete with victories - quite contrary to history lessons that overemphasize our defeats at the hands of colonial invaders," Gordon explained.

He further pointed out that apart from learning about the history of Intramuros, students will be able to learn from the visitors that they guide through Intramuros.

"It will, above all, be a mind-expanding and soul-enriching experience to tell others about what is best about your people, your homeland, and its history," he added.

He also explained that he intends to expand the tourism training program to other tourism stakeholders, including even the taho (soya) vendors, kutseros, and low income earners residing within Intramuros.

"We believe that all are stakeholders in tourism and this is because everybody benefits from it. Sa Intramuros, papatunayan natin muli na ang turismo ang siyang pinaka-direktang paraan para makalikha ng trabaho at oportunidad para sa negosyo," said Gordon.