Philippines has passed a law to ensure tourists are kept safe by specially assigned police officers.
To ensure the safety and security of tourists in the Philippines, the Department of Tourism and the Philippine National Police have agreed to train more tourist police personnel that will be deployed in tourist spots.
The new law is aptly called the Tourist-Oriented Police for Community Order and Protection program (TOPCOP).
"We're happy to strengthen our partnership with the police to ensure the safety and security of international and domestic visitors in the country's tourist destinations," Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said.
Ms Puyat said the TOPCOP training will showcase what she calls the "Filipino brand of service" highlighting the "Filipinos' unique and genuine hospitality."
"With the police help, we can rest assured that we are not alone in sending a strong message to our visiting tourists that our country will continue and always will be a safe destination," she said.
Police General Oscar Albayalde, the PNP Chief, welcomed the DOT's support to the program "that will enhance police visibility in visitor areas, where PNP personnel will patrol, as well as set up tourist assistance centres and complaints desks."
The Philippines is hoping to reach its target of 8.2 million foreign tourist arrivals in 2019, a million higher than 2018.
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