TWO TOP TOURIST DESTINATIONS ARE IN NORMIN

SEVERAL  studies have been conducted to theorize the complex links that exist between the tourism industry and processes of economic development.

The study conducted by Milne and Ateljevic ( 2001) took the readers to the past three decades and allowed them to reach the conclusion with a discussion of the 'new' economic  geography of tourism, in which cultural and economic boundaries are being transcended across a variety of scales.

Other studies pointed out the importance of investigating the relationship between destination image and destination personality which were found to be related concepts, while the rest described the trends in developing traveler  destination choice models which covered important issues in need of resolution for making advances in understanding, describing and predicting tourist decision-making .

What lies ahead of the tourism industry entails more qualitative review of tourist decision-making literature.

However, findings of the 2010 Household Survey on Domestic Visitors (HSDV) conducted by the National Statistics Office (NS0) generated vital data/information which may be considered for planning and inputs in the analysis of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats on the tourism industry in this part of the country.

The 2010 Household Survey on Domestic Visitors (HSDV) aimed to gather data on household information on domestic tourism that are vital to the effective and efficient development and implementation of tourism plans and programs. The data sought to provide core indicators on domestic tourism for policy-making purposes.

The survey yielded results that about 23.1 million Filipinos who are 15 years old and above have travelled within the country from April 1 to September 30, 2010. These  domestic travelers represent 36.6 percent of the estimated 63.2 million Filipinos who are 15 years old and over. In 2010, about 42,000 domestic trips were reported by the 23.1 million travelers, and 42,400  places were visited within the country.

It is interesting to note that 53.3 percent were trips for pleasure or vacation followed by, visit to friends or relatives and attendance to family gatherings with 36. 9 percent.

The NSO, in another report, said that during that year, 1, 864 establishments or 60.4 percent operated under Activities of Tour and Travel Agencies. The report was lifted from the results of the first-ever 2009 Survey of Tourism Establishments in the Philippines (STEP). The survey collected information on the available supply of tourism goods, products and services that are needed in the compilation of the Philippine Tourism Satellite Account (PTSA).

As revealed in the findings of the HSDV,  two of the most frequently visited places in Mindanao are seen in the Northern Mindanao Region. These are in particular the provinces of Lanao del Norte and Misamis Oriental.

Lanao del Norte obtained a total of 745,000 domestic travelers. Out of these total travelers, Lanao del Norte acquired a total of 457,000 domestic travelers whose purpose is for pleasure or vacation.

On the other hand, Misamis Oriental garnered a total of 806,000 domestic travelers. It received a total of 335,000 domestic travelers whose purpose is for pleasure or vacation. Such findings strengthened the description ascribed to Northern Mindanao as the eco-tourism hub of the Philippines because of its diverse environmental and cultural heritage (http://www.dfatip.ph/index.php/where-to-go/southphl/region10). Indeed, the region is proud of its tourist spots which cover the pristine beauty of the paradise island of Camiguin whose coastline alternates between black or white sand beaches and volcanic rocks, Bukidnons’ plateau cut by the deep and wide canyons, the beautiful twin falls of Maria Cristina Falls of Iligan City, the Dolphin Island in Sinacaban, the famous water rafting in Cagayan de Oro City. The city, and the renowned Divine Mercy Shrine at City of El Salvador at Misamis Oriental which is only 30 minutes away from Cagayan de 0ro City.

With such development, Northern Mindanao will have its own contribution to the tourism industry and realization of the statement of the Tourism Secretary, Hon. Secretary Ramon R. Jimenez Jr. when he said: "When the industry exceeds expectations as it had done last year, we feel very encouraged. And with the overwhelming response to our new brand campaign launched last month, we know that we have broken ground on crowd sourcing. The people's campaign will help bring more numbers."

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NorMin marriages, what does emerging pattern tell?

SHERI and Bob Strit’s article on Philippine marriages painted a very good picture of the Philippines, when they wrote: “If you assume that getting married in the Philippines is an easy process, you are mistaken.”

This implies that the legal aspects of Philippine marriages  have fully protected our people. They advised those who are not citizens of the Republic of the Philippines to take note of the required documents which would include a certificate of legal capacity to contract marriage.

   This means that any foreigner who wishes to marry in the Philippines is required by the Philippine Government to obtain from his/her Embassy a “Certificate or Legal Capacity to Contract Marriage” before filing an application for a marriage license.

This certification affirms that there are no legal impediments to the foreigner marrying a Filipino, which is indeed a very good protection especially for Filipinas who are to be married to foreigners.

Speaking of marriage, statistics show an emerging new trend for the month of most marriages.

Contrary to the practice which dates back to the ancient days of the Roman Empire which considered June as the popular month for weddings in honor of the month of Juno, the goddess of marriage, statistics show that the month of February topped with almost 3 thousand marriages in Northern Mindanao in 2010 according to the Vital Statistics Report of the National Statistics Office.

Not surprising  though, because February happens to be the LOVE month. However, the national figure showed that most of the couples opted for summer to get hitched. The month of April recorded the most number of registered marriages at 55, 705 or 11.5 percent of the total. The month of February followed closely at 11.1 percent.

            The marriage month of the Filipinos have shifted slightly as in the previous years. Aside from June, the month of May had been the most popular choice to tie the knot. Climate change might be the apparent reason for such shift, since May has turned out to be a rainy season.

However, the preferred month for weddings is not that vital. What is alarming to consider are the early marriages which have become a societal challenge in the contemporary era. It has been historically associated with a variety of undesirable results in the economy and family relationships, among  others.

Preliminary results of administrative – based data of the NSO show that in Northern Mindanao there were 21 marriages registered in 2011 to both male and female who were still teenagers and demographers see an increasing number in the succeeding years as premarital sex in the country is strongly opposed by moral standards.

Teenage marriages subsequently lead to teenage pregnancies. As discussed in earlier article, births to teenage mothers in the region are seen at approximately 5.2 percent of the country’s total. There were births also recorded to mother who were below 15 years old at the time of delivery. Consequently, as revealed by the Department of Education in their Basic Education Information System, 3.22 percent of the High School drop outs were due to early marriages/pregnancies.

Having a strong tradition of canon law, the country maintains marriage as  the foundation of the family and an inviolable social institution. While it is true that Filipinos cherish marriages and believe on its sanctity, statistics speak otherwise. Results of  the 2007 Census of Population show that for household population 10 years old and over for both sexes 30,224 or approximately 1.0 percent of the region’s total was either divorced or separated. The results also reveal that 754 teenagers reported that they are divorce/separated.

What is more alarming is another emerging development which shows that in the 2010 Census 11,262 teenagers reported that they are in “live – in” status. Median age at first marriage in the region according to the results of the National Demographic and Health Survey conducted by the NSO in 2008 was at 21.6 years old.

All these findings will not only be taken from the perspective of economics but also from its interplay with various social science perspectives, with the objective of highlighting implications for policy decisions.

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State of education in Normin: Improving or declining?

JUNE of every year invariably highlights the continuing efforts of the government towards quality improvements on education. While both state and civil society organizations have incessantly exerted significant efforts to address multifaceted problems that confront the educations system, results have fallen short of the mark. Because we fully believe that education is an engine of growth, we cannot avoid asking this question – “Where do we stand?”

            According to the 2008 Functional Literacy, Education and Mass Media Survey (FLEMMS) conducted by the National Statistics Office, eight percent of the estimated 3.7 million population 6 years old and over in 2008 in Northern Mindanao had no formal education. This is somewhat high despite the government’s commitment to provide basic education to all Filipinos.

            The largest proportion of person aged 6 years and older in the region were elementary graders. About three out of 10 persons in that age group had attended elementary school but did not complete the elementary level. Those who had graduated from elementary, but did not proceed to the secondary level comprised 13 percent.

            About 18.6 percent reached high school but failed to complete it, whereas 14.9 percent had finished high school level. Likewise, 16.5 percent either had reached but did not complete college level (8.2 %) or had actually finished college or any higher level of education (8.3 %). By comparison, the female populations have higher percentage (10.1%) than the male population (6.6 %) for completing college or higher level of education.

            The 2008 FLEMMS results also show that of the 1.8 million populations aged 6-24 in the region, 34 percent or 624 thousand were not attending school. It might be paradoxical, but the survey results revealed that the foremost reason for not attending school was attributed to lack of personal interest which yielded 27.4 percent, despite the fact that the 1987 Constitution provides for free basic education.

            We cannot discount the fact that literacy level is directly related to economic development. From an economic perspective, literacy and schooling have been shown to significantly affect individual income. Empirical evidences show that formal education is highly instrumental and even necessary in improving the production capacity of a nation. Thus, illiteracy will undoubtedly limit the full development of individuals and their participation in society, and also restricts their access to the benefits of development.

            Looking further at the FLEMMS result, nine out of 10 persons in Northern Mindanao were basically literate. Basic or simple literacy is the ability of a person to read and write with understanding a simple message in language or dialect.

            Of the estimated 3.2 million 10 years old and over in Northern Mindanao, around 94 percent were basically literate. However, the region’s basic literacy rate was lower compared to the national figure of 96 percent.

            The basic literacy rate in 2008 was slightly higher than the 2003 rate of 92 percent. The basic literacy rate among females was 95.3 percent as compared to 92.6 percent among males.

            On the other hand, around 2.6 million or 85.9 percent of the estimated 3.1 million persons 10 to 64 years old in Northern Mindanao were functionally literate. In 2003, functional literacy rate was lower at 83.7 percent. A functionally literate person is one who can read, write and compute or one who can read, write, compute and comprehend. Persons who graduated from high school or completed a higher level of education are considered functionally literate.

            The functional literacy rate among females was higher than among males (88.4 percent vs. 83.5 percent).

            As expected, functional literacy rate of the population increases with an increasing level of education. Nine out 10 persons who have reached high school level but did not complete it were functionally literate. By comparison, eight out of 10 elementary graduates were functionally literate while around six in 10 persons with some elementary education were functionally literate. Only around four percent among those with no formal education were functionally literate.

            Survey results also show that seven out of 10 persons aged 10 to 64 years who are poor were functionally literate compared to nine out of 10 among the non-poor.

            In the 2008 FLEMMS, ownership of household amenities and conveniences are used as a substitute for income in order to classify the households into either poor or non-poor.

            Data on functional literacy among the poor and non-poor populations in each of the regions shows that the functional literacy rate of the poor was lower compared to the non-poor.

            The aforementioned findings may no longer sound new to many, but these are the realities that we have to face after knowing where we stand.

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