Jonathan de Santos
Sun Star Online
August 15, 2011

MANILA — Whoever will be the next Tourism secretary should promote Filipino cuisine, not just tourist attractions, Senator Francis Pangilinan said Monday.

“The promotion of Philippine native cuisine and delicacies will give a strong shot in the arm for our agriculture and fisheries sector and for the food industry that directly springs from agriculture and fisheries,” he said.

He said he wants Philippine cuisine to become as ubiquitous in the world’s cities as Thai and Vietnamese food. “What Vietnam and Thailand achieved in the last twenty years the Philippines can do in the next twenty years. Placing Philippine native cuisine in the world map isn’t far-fetched,” he said.

He added the Tourism secretary who will replace Alberto Lim, who leaves on August 31, should promote Philippine seafood too. He said that Philippine lobsters, oysters, shrimps, mussels, and crabs are “better tasting than those produced elsewhere.”

“The next DOT (Department of Tourism) chief must place food in the centerpiece of the Philippine tourist experience,” he said. (Sunnex)

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