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BORACAY, Philippines — Sino po si Barbers? Pulitiko ba siya? (Who is Barbers? Is he a politician?)
This was the reaction of a fruit vendor to the name of Robert Dean Barbers, general manager and chief executive officer of the Philippine Tourism Authority (PTA), which was engraved on sidewalks along the main road of this island resort.
Barbers has drawn flak from some residents and resort owners after his name appeared on the PTA seal etched in many sections of the cemented walk marking the P140-million PTA drainage system project.
"He has no right (to put his name) because that (project comes from) our money. Why, is he running for office?" said a resort owner and longtime resident. The owner asked not to be identified out of concern for his business because of Barbers' position and authority.
Another resort owner, a community leader, said including Barbers' name in the seal showed "lack of professional ethics."
“People's money, not his personal money, was spent on that project. It's giving the wrong impression on how government officials spend our money,” the resort owner said.
"It's bad taste. In our country, we don't have people like him," said a European expatriate.
Barbers downplayed the use of his name in the engraving.
"It was the project's architect who designed that. I was surprised when I saw it. But I don't see anything wrong with it," Barbers told the Inquirer in a telephone interview on Sunday.
As in the case of many politicians who put their names on waiting sheds, roads and bridges, Barbers' name was prominently displayed on the PTA engravement.
The seal is about two feet in diameter and spans almost the whole width of the sidewalk that covers the drainage pipes. The seal has three circles, with the PTA logo at the center in red, yellow, white and blue.
Engraved in the second circle are the words "Philippine Tourism Authority 1973." The last circle bears the slogan "Pilipino sa Turismo ay Aktibo" and the name "Robert Dean S. Barbers" in blue.
The engraved seal can be found at intervals of almost every 50 meters on one side of a four-kilometer stretch of the main road from Barangay (village) Balabag, located at the center of the 1,000-hectare island, to Barangay Manoc-Manoc at the southern end.
The road is the main thoroughfare for the island's more than 13,000 residents and foreign and local tourists. It runs parallel to Boracay's world famous white beach.
Hayden Bandiola, a bar owner and civil engineering graduate, said putting Barbers' name on the PTA logo might have been acceptable had it been placed about a kilometer apart.
Ideally, however, the project should not have carried the name of Barbers since "it's his obligation to construct infrastructure projects," said Bandiola.
The PTA, which is tasked with developing, supervising and operating tourism projects and areas, has several projects on the island, including the operation of the Boracay Water and Sewage System (BWSS). The drainage system is among the measures being undertaken to help solve the problem of flooding. /Inquirer
