Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco led the groundbreaking ceremony for the Tourism Champions Challenge (TCC) projects here on Tuesday.

Tagum City was awarded PHP13 million for placing fourth in the 2024 TCC, a leading initiative of the Department of Tourism (DOT).

Its winning entry, “Truly Tagum: Advancing the Benefits of an Enriched Heritage-Tourism Circuit,” aims to enhance the city’s tourism industry by integrating infrastructure improvements with community engagement.

The project fund will support the construction of key components, including the Mandaya Craft Center in Barangay Canocotan, a dive briefing and lecture hall, Terminal 2 passenger lounge, and the Centennial Mangrove Boardwalk, all located in Barangay Liboganon.

Frasco emphasized that the milestone strengthens strategic partnerships and showcases the city’s dedication to sustainable tourism growth.

“I commend the city government of Tagum for showing us the true power of tourism—to transform and uplift the lives of our fellow Filipinos,” she said.

Frasco explained that the TCC is a flagship program of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., designed to empower local government units (LGUs) to identify and implement tourism initiatives suited to their communities.

“This program invites LGUs to submit proposals—crowdsourced from their communities—on how best to develop their tourism industry,” she added.

She emphasized that chosen projects should provide maximum benefits to residents.

“They should uplift the quality of tourism experiences to world-class standards, and we are grateful that LGUs have responded positively,” Frasco said.

She revealed that nearly 100 proposals from Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao were submitted to the DOT.

“Out of the many LGUs that participated, Tagum City emerged as one of the winners because of its meaningful project that will truly benefit your communities,” she added.

Under the Marcos administration, Frasco assured Filipinos that tourism initiatives would be designed to serve both destinations and livelihoods.

Meanwhile, Mayor Rey Uy expressed gratitude to the DOT and the national government, calling the project “a blessing.”

“We will shoulder the maintenance expenses and assign personnel to manage the facilities,” Uy said. (PNA)