Got a tip? Send it to us at manila@coconuts.co.
If we were to declare everyone with a complaint about the Philippines persona non-grata, will we have any tourists left?
On April 27, Donsol provincial board member Eric Ravanilla authored a resolution declaring Nathan Allen, an American blogger, persona non grata in Sorsogon in order to “protect the tourism industry.”
RELATED STORY: 8 things Nathan Allen did wrong, according to Pinoy travel bloggers
That was Ravanilla’s response to a blog post by Allen wherein he writes about his less than stellar experience while touring the province.
“A few days ago I decided to take a trip to see the whale sharks in Donsol, Sorsogon. I thought it would be good to inform their tourism officer of my arrival. They told me she was away, so I asked them to please text her for me. I left very detailed information about exactly who I was, and exactly why I was there,” Allen writes. “Please understand that I don’t see myself as some big, important person… but I do know that I can help you.”
He adds: “It was a last-minute trip, and I would understand if she wasn’t able to assist me in exploring the region. However, I was hoping she would at least send me a text offering some suggestions for a few attractions I could promote in Donsol. I was disappointed that I never heard anything from her. I ended up booking a whale shark tour in the tourism office.”
He may also have ended up paying for that tour himself — but that’s not why he’s complaining.
Allen, who describes himself as not just a hobby blogger, claims he had just visited Albay where he was a guest of Governor Joey Salceda. After his whale shark tour, he went to Masbate City at the last minute, “where the Vice Governor quickly heard and personally arranged a boat tour — that SAME day! Their assistance during my stay in Masbate will no doubt help me broadcast the warmth and beauty of this unique region to the world! I am thankful for that.”
Allen argues that, “the difference between myself and the Dept Of Tourism is that THEY are being paid. I am doing it for free, and at this point I spend almost ALL of my time managing this account, writing articles, and editing photos.”
But on the same post, he acknowledges getting freebies. “I am thankful for the many hotels, restaurants, tour agencies, and officials who understand this…and have sponsored my experiences with them to help me with these costs. Like I said before, if it’s worth promoting (and will potentially bring prosperity to the country I love), I’ll be happy to help.”
So far, he’s got the support of netizens. “Bakit naman magagalit tayo eh totoo naman….tayo ang mga persona non Grata,” writes Gilbeys B. Galan on Coconuts Manila’s Facebook page. “Wala mali sa sinabi niya,” seconds Butz Ignacio.
Do you think Allen deserved to be declared persona non-grata? Tell us on Facebook
We’re reposting Allen’s entry below:
A Foreigner’s Message To The Department of Tourism:
YOU are the face of the Philippines – The “first impression” that many visitors walk away with. Please take your job seriously.
If your phone rings, please answer it. If you see emails in your inbox…please respond to them. I am not just speaking for myself, but for ANY tourists who have tried to contact or receive information from you.
I am here to promote your country. Help me help YOU. Please understand that I don’t see myself as some big, important person…but I do know that I can help you. “I Dreamed Of This” is propelling the beauty of the Philippines to the far corners of the world – attracting tourist dollars everywhere from New Zealand, to Germany, to Brazil.
WHAT’S UP WITH THESE VISA FEES?
I want to continue helping put the Philippines on the world’s stage, but we have GOT to make it easier for foreign tourists to enjoy your country. Compared to your SE Asian neighbors like Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam, foreigners in the Philippines have to pay MUCH higher visa fees.
When I check my receipts at the cashier, I see that I am charged a 500 peso “express lane” fee, and ALSO a 500 peso “express lane certification” fee. What does that even mean? Any foreigner who’s ever extended a visa in Manila will tell you that there is nothing “express” about the process. In fact, there IS NO “express lane”. There is only one (painfully slow) lane for visa extension.
To me, it feels like a slap in the face…it’s as if they are saying “Just give us 25 more dollars for NO reason at all.” If anybody has a logical explanation for this fee, I do apologize for my lack of knowledge about it. I also understand that this is an immigration issue, not one involving the DOT. However, it affects tourists nonetheless.
DISAPPOINTED IN DONSOL
A few days ago I decided to take a trip to see the whale sharks in Donsol, Sorsogon. I thought it would be good to inform their tourism officer of my arrival. They told me she was away, so I asked them to please text her for me. I left very detailed information about exactly who I was, and exactly why I was there. To be clear that I’m not just a “hobby blogger”, I mentioned that I had just come from Albay, where I was a guest of Governor Salceda.
It was a last minute trip, and I would understand if she wasn’t able to assist me in exploring the region. However, I was hoping she would at least send me a text offering some suggestions for a few attractions I could promote in Donsol.
I was disappointed that I never heard anything from her. I ended up booking a whale shark tour in the tourism office, and on my boat was a French tourist who was actually inspired to come to Bicol when he saw my photo in front of Mt. Mayon! Haha. I’m always surprised just how far the posts on “I Dreamed Of This” can reach!
(PS…the whale sharks were awesome, but the Donsol tourism officials weren’t much help. I am pleased to announce that the day after my whale shark tour, I arrived in Masbate City (also last-minute), where the Vice Governor quickly heard and personally arranged a boat tour – that SAME day! Their assistance during my stay in Masbate will no doubt help me broadcast the warmth and beauty of this unique region to the world! I am thankful for that.)
A DANGEROUS EXPERIENCE WITH A TOURISM OFFICER
4 months ago, another tourism officer (I won’t name names) did assist me, but when I asked where the best place to snorkel on the island was, the officer pointed to some waves crashing over the reefs. I was very surprised, and I asked “are you sure…you want me to go where those waves are crashing out there??” The officer assured me that’s where I should go, so I trusted it.
Unfortunately, my fears were realized as I got further out, and the waves started dragging me through the sharp reefs…not only putting myself, but also the corals at risk. I didn’t end up seeing any undersea life there, and I was actually quite fortunate to somehow come away from that experience unharmed.
When I returned to the shore, she asked me if the snorkeling was any good. In my head I was screaming “you TOLD me to go there, shouldn’t you know what it’s like??” She wasn’t very knowledgeable about the rest of the island, and I got the feeling that she has never even been snorkeling in her life.
The next day, I took a private tour with a local dive house, and they told me they would never advise guests to snorkel where I did.
DOT: PLEASE HIRE QUALIFIED OFFICIALS
Is the D.O.T. just hiring members of their families who need jobs? I hope not…these people need to ACTUALLY be qualified! They cannot put tourists’ lives at risk like that.
I sincerely hope you can avoid situations like this, and that it will be easier for me to help YOU promote your regions in the future.
I’m here to help!
SOME PRAISE FOR THE D.O.T.
Of course this message does not apply to ALL at the DOT, and I do want to say I think the “It’s More Fun In The Philippines” campaign is brilliant and effective! Many D.O.T. employees really do seem driven to help the country succeed.
As for helping me promote the Philippines, so far, Antique, Iloilo, Camarines Sur, and Governor Salceda in Albay all seemed to fully understand the potential of having me visit and promote their regions. They will benefit from this far into the future, as I will continue to write and share posts about my time there.
PLEASE TAG YOUR TOURISM INDUSTRY FRIENDS IN THIS POST
If you want to promote your tourism-related business (and it is environmentally responsible), please send me a personal message and I will consider coming to promote it. Please do NOT advertise your business publicly on this page.
THANKS FOR MAKING IT ALL POSSIBLE
The difference between myself and the Dept Of Tourism is that THEY are being paid. I am doing it for free, and at this point I spend almost ALL of my time managing this account, writing articles, and editing photos.
I am thankful for the many hotels, restaurants, tour agencies, and officials who understand this…and have sponsored my experiences with them to help me with these costs. Like I said before, if it’s worth promoting (and will potentially bring prosperity to the country I love), I’ll be happy to help.
Please SHARE this post to help spread awareness and give the Philippines a fair share of the global tourism market!
In the wake of being declared persona non grata, Allen once again posted his statement about the matter on Facebook. We’re reposting his statement below, unedited:
Yes, I was declared “persona non grata” in Sorsogon recently.
I just want to say that, as I have previously clarified, the issue (if you could even call it that) I encountered in Sorsogon was very minor. I was never “angry” about it, as the media is mostly reporting. I only expressed “disappointed”, which is quite different. I was not disappointed BY Donsol…only that I felt disappointed when I was IN Donsol. I just did not get a text that I *hoped* for. I did not lose any sleep over this…that is why I said it was a “minor issue”. It says in my original post that I did not expect much, given the last minute nature of my trip. I do hope people will take the time to read carefully.
Regarding the separation between the LGU tourism workers and DOT, if you read the posts that followed, I apologized and clarified about the confusion on my end. This was never about Sorosogon, or even Bicol specifically. The big picture was some of the concerns that tourists are affected by nationally (not just in Bicol). I only hoped to shed some light on them to improve the tourist experience (and help bring extra revenue to the country I love).
I actually said right in the original post that the whale sharks were “awesome”, and in the comments, I specifically commended the many tourism employees there that made my experience memorable.
I have literally spent months working hard to promote Bicol…and the locals in Sorsogon were very warm, welcoming, and appreciative that I came to visit. I have done 5 television interviews in Bicol at this point, the most recent of which was specifically promoting the whale shark watching in Donsol.
I hope nobody feels like I am out to get them, or that they are under attack. I can assure you, I’d like to think of myself as a nice guy. From what I remember, I handed the girl my business card and left that tourism office with a smile on my face.
Somehow this has all been blown way out of proportion.
I am also sad that all the good things I had to say about the D.O.T. (in every single post) seem to have been overlooked. I hope that people will do their research, especially if they are posting articles in the media.
I sincerely hope they will reconsider such a taking such a drastic and damaging step. It seems like quite a misunderstanding, and takes away from the hard work I do promoting the warmth and beauty of both Bicol and the Philippines in general. I also worry that it could shine a very unfavorable light on the beautiful province of Sorsogon. There is so much to offer tourists there.
