Polish Consul Visits El Nido

As the Polish Government eyes the establishment of honorary Consulate in the Province of Palawan, Polish Consul Aleksander Parzych, together with his Vice Consul Bartosz Wozniczko, visited El Nido on June 16-18, 2021. This was part of their itinerary to meet Palawan officials that started in Puerto Princesa on June 14.

The Polish government officials proceeded to San Vicente first on the 15th before traveling to El Nido on the 16th. They arrived at around 2:00 PM and immediately paid a courtesy call to Mayor Edna Gacot-Lim. After a brief conversation with the Local Chief Executive, they proceeded to meet with the representatives of the Municipal Tourism Office (MTO), Municipal Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO) and the Philippine National Police (PNP). Mr. Arvin Acosta represented the MTO, Mr. Raymond Osorio represented MDRRMO while PMaj. Analyn Palma represented the PNP.

Mr. Parzych and Mr. Wozniczko explained to the representatives of the Local Government Unit (LGU) that their mission is to ensure the safety of Polish tourists in Palawan’s destinations and to establish constant communication with the LGUs concerned. The Polish officials explained that though the paper works for the construction of the Consulate building in Palawan may take time, the Polish Embassy is determined to implement the plan since Palawan and Cebu are the favorite destinations of their citizens.

Mr. Acosta presented the tourist security situation in El Nido and the upcoming formulation of the Municipal Tourism Security Plan. Furthermore, he discussed Polish tourist arrivals in the municipality that totaled 2,176 in 2019 which is 1% of the total guest arrivals. Mr. Osorio presented the readiness of the LGU to respond to emergencies, including the ones involving tourists. He also discussed statistics of their emergency response which highlights vehicular accidents involving tourists. Meanwhile, PMaj. Palma discussed El Nido’s peace and order situation and the procedures when unexpected circumstances occur regarding tourist’ safety.

Impressed with the presentations, the Consul expressed his appreciation to the LGU representatives and to Mayor Lim for the sharing of information and the warm reception. He also invited Mayor Lim and rest of the LGU representatives to attend the inauguration once the Consulate building is established.

 

 

June 25, 2021