IN ITS SECOND of a three-part workshops, Mandaluyong City through its City Cultural Affairs and Tourism Department (CCATD) invited the private sector where Crossroads Manila attended to take part and contribute in the city’s effort to improve tourism in the city and become a contributor in the country’s program for economic growth.
The workshop entitled Mandaluyong Tourism and Cultural Depelopment Plan was facilitated by BIODEV, Inc. which specializes in urban planning, researched, developed, and conducted the event to get more help from the private sector so it can tackle tourism plans and maximize the city’s potential natural, historical, and commercial destinations and improve it further and attract more investments as it were. Strategically, the city was divided into four hubs where it plans to situate tourism growth. The proposed Mandaluyong Hubs touted to bring potential tourism growth are:
HUMANITYVILLE – Where the landmarks and heavyily-situated residential areas are such as Welfareville Compound and Addition Hills. It is also where history and declared cultural properties are located such as the Jose Rizal University, BSA Townhomes, and works of national artists found in Population Center Foundation.
CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT (CBD) – Where towns of Wack-Wack Greenhills, Pleasant Hills, and Highway Hills are located. It is the largest of all the hubs. CBD is heavily known as the shopping district where high-rise residential and commercial places are found including the the Wack-Wack Golf Course.
CIVIC CIRCLE – Highlighting the center of governance where the government is located. Several landmarks are also situation in this area which are the Kaban ng Hiyas Building, Congressional District Library, The Dambana ng Alaala, and many more. The Civic Circle is composed of four barangays, which are Muaway, Plainview, Barangka Drive, and Malamig.
RIVER LINE – Based on the Pasig River line where residntial area of Mabini-J. Rizal, Namayan, Vergara, hulo, Barangka Ibaba, Barangka Itaas, Barangka Ilaya, and Buayang Bato which all have access to the river.
The hubs are meant to highlight the diversity of the city’s possible areas of showcases and help stakeholders and future administration heads plan out what and how to maximize the areas for tourism growth. Each area are protracted to gain from what organizers indicate would be growth for employment, discovery and protection of heritage sites and activities, other programs and projects that will be identified in a six-year program that leaders would tackle.
Throughout the day-long seminar, delegates were guided by the working vision crafted during the first workshop held in August, “Mandaluyong envisions to become globally competitive, adaptive, sustainable, and state-of-the-art for Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Events (MICE).” The attendees brainstormed ideas and sought ways in identifying challenges each hub faces in the areas of global competitiveness, ability to adapt (being resilient), to be sustainable, and having state-of-the-art facilities for MICE activities. Each challenge was paired with ideas on how to solve or address it through measurements that the City Council can tackle after the facilitators would summarize it in a report that will be given this month for budget purposes.
Energized by new delegates and attendees, innovation, friendly, progressive, and environment sustainability were strong statements that provided key factors in gathering many ideas in solving many tourism challenges the city is facing in reaching its vision to becoming one of the leading tourism spots in The Philippines. Crossroads Hostel is one of the only two accommodation establishments (AEs) that attended the event, which expressed gratitude to the leadership of CCATD Head, Nolan V. Angeles who spearheaded the fact-finding mission with the support of then mayor and now Vice-Mayor Menchie Abalos.
Mandaluyong is home to more than 400,000 residents faced with some overpopulation and flood problems to deal with as it tackles numerous potential for economic growth thereby giving each local citizens a measure of prosperity.
Hon. Menchie Abalos emphasized the importance of getting more information and feedback from the private sector in order to make the project work. 
Nolan Angeles heads the city tourism department and is tasked to see to it that the city’s growth in tourism will expand further and stronger that will provide employment and more facilities to put Mandaluyong on the map of important cities to enjoy tourism in Metro Manila. 
Almost 100 attendees came for the event.
Crossroads Hostel Manila is one of the accommodations Mandaluyong has that is accredited by the Department of Tourism offering basic services for tourists, backpackers, and traveling local residents looking for a clean, secure, and safe place to stay.
For more information on this story and how the hostel can you or business owners, call +639478957600. We can be reached through WhatsApp and through our Facebook Page facebook.com/crossroadshostelmanila. /kca
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