Tourist Police Officers’ Compliance with Republic Act 9593

Abstract

The main role of tourist police officers is to ensure that the implementation of RA 9593 also known as the Tourism Act of 2009 has been executed. The main purpose of this study is to assess the roles of tourist police officers in compliance with the said law, in Panglao, Bohol from the perspective of the stakeholders and the police officers themselves, in the year 2015. This will serve as the basis for the recommendation to improve their services. The study employed the descriptive correlational method utilizing a researcher-made questionnaire based on the functions and responsibilities as contained in Republic Act 9593 as a data gathering tool. The respondents were fifty (50) barangay officials, fifty (50) community residents, twenty (20) businessmen, and thirty (30) tourist police officers. Findings revealed that the majority of them were less compliant as perceived by the two groups of respondents. The problem mostly encountered by tourist police officers was the lack of cooperation on the part of resort owners. The study concluded that there is a need for tourist Police Officers and tourism-related stakeholders to be more compliant with Republic Act 9593.