Bohol is strengthening its position as one of the Philippines’ leading tourism destinations. At the same time, community preparedness adds another dimension to the province’s tourism story. The goal is to keep residents and visitors safe around the water.
Tourism growth in Bohol
Bohol welcomed 1.43 million tourist arrivals in 2025, according to the Bohol Provincial Tourism Office. That is a 4.18% increase from the previous year. Panglao, one of the province’s major tourism hubs, also drew more than 62,000 visitors during the 2025 Christmas long break alone.
Thousands of visitors are drawn to the province’s beaches, resorts, diving sites, island activities, and coastal communities. Therefore, Bell-Kenz Pharma brought its flagship advocacy, Sagip CPR, closer to the people who live and work in these tourism environments.
Sagip CPR in Panglao
The Sagip CPR initiative took place at the Panglao Cultural Center on September 21. It gathered fisherfolk, persons with disabilities, and disaster risk reduction and management officers. Barangay health workers, solo parents, and other community members from Panglao and Dauis also joined. They trained in emergency response and drowning prevention.
The initiative goes beyond teaching CPR. It highlights a critical tourism principle. A destination’s safety is stronger when its own communities are prepared to respond to emergencies.
Participants completed Hands-Only CPR and automated external defibrillator (AED) training. They also learned a drowning prevention module based on the Drowning Chain of Survival. The module covered five critical actions. These are preventing drowning, recognizing distress, calling for help, providing flotation, and safely removing a person from the water. The final step is providing appropriate care.
Making Safety Part of the Tourism Experience
For a province whose tourism identity is closely tied to the sea, preparedness around water is particularly relevant.
Panglao and Dauis are home to tourism establishments and attractions. In addition, they are home to families, fisherfolk, workers, and communities. Their daily lives are intertwined with the same waters that visitors enjoy.
“Tourism and safety must go hand in hand,” said Patrick Larraga, Corporate Communications and Public Affairs Head of Bell-Kenz Pharma. “Through Sagip CPR, we want to help communities become more prepared to respond when an emergency happens. When residents have life-saving knowledge, they become an important part of creating safer and more prepared destinations for everyone.”
From Tourist Attraction to Tourism-Ready Community
The Sagip CPR initiative puts the spotlight on an often-overlooked component of destination development. That component is the people behind the destination.
Hotels, beaches, restaurants, dive operators, transport providers, and attractions are important to tourism. Still, so are the communities that live alongside them.
Community-based preparedness
Initiatives such as Sagip CPR build basic emergency-response knowledge among residents and local stakeholders. As a result, they can help make safety awareness part of everyday life in tourism communities.
For Bohol, this is especially timely. The province continues to expand its tourism economy and strengthen its international profile. For example, the Bohol-Panglao International Airport handled 2.22 million passengers in 2025. This underscores the scale of travel activity flowing into the province.
The message is clear. As more people discover Bohol, preparedness must grow alongside tourism.
Sagip CPR’s rollout in Panglao and Dauis demonstrates how community-based preparedness can complement broader tourism efforts. It helps create destinations where visitors can experience the beauty of Bohol. Meanwhile, communities are better equipped to respond when emergencies happen.
For more information about Bell-Kenz Sagip CPR, visit www.bell-kenz.net.
