By PIA-Bohol | 11:20 AM October 05, 2026
TAGBILARAN City, Bohol —Decades after Bohol picked on tourism, which has helped the people dramatically alter the province’s economic skyline, Bohol Governor Erico Aristotle Aumentado finally steps in to grapple a Frankenstein that has threatened to potentially kill the very miracle-industry Boholanos have created.
Through Executive Order No. 46, series of 2026, Aumentadoallows Bohol to wrestle the elephant in the room in tourism, to address the recurring complaints and issues related to Bohol tourism, something leaders of weaker mettle and frail political will could never dare.
In establishing Bohol Fair Value Tourism Program, the governor did not only install and establish standards and systems for tourism safety, quality and service excellence, but it also creates a norm for local tourism price transparency and institutionalizes a tourism consumer response and rapid verification system for industry regulation.
Laid within the framework of the Bohol Sustainable Tourism Development Code of 2025, the new order operates on the principles of quality, transparency, fairness, consumer choice, sustainability and value for money.
Touted as an expensive destination by self-proclaimed pundits in tourism products pricing, Bohol also acknowledges that tourism competitiveness may not necessarily require the lowest prices.
However, providing tourists some value-for-money, cost-effective and meaningful options across wide price levels, as well as mechanisms for fair and prompt resolution of legitimate consumer concerns, has the governor ordering to put up a Bohol Tourist Consumer Response System: (BTCRS) an online, Quick Response Code and mobile phone hotline for complaints.
Also, the order also mandates the periodic preparation of Tourism Price and Consumer Experience dashboard with prevailing prices, seasonal and geographic pricing patterns and other useful data for consumer protection, site management and policy formulation.
For complaints however, the BTCRS needs the establishment, tour provider, location, date of transaction, service or product bought, amount charged as against disclosed price prior to the deal and other supporting evidence like receipts, menus, price lists, booking confirmations, photographs, screenshots and other relevant information, indicated.
The order also includes a provision for appropriate legal action to be taken against persons responsible for materially false, misleading or incomplete information concerning prices or services that has gone viral or high impact tourism allegation, malicious, designed to damage Bohol’s reputation as a destination, or simply to generate clicks for social media content and similar intents.
On the other hand, malicious, fictitious and clearly abusive complaints would not be entertained by the BTCRS, however this does not necessarily mean the accuser would be freed from any legal liability. (PIABohol)
