ANOTHER Cebuana is joining the Department of Tourism (DOT) as a high-ranking official.Lawyer and former City of Naga, southern Cebu mayor Kristine Vanessa Chiong-Genegobis was appointed as the DOT’s Assistant Secretary for Special Concerns.Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco formally administered the oath of office to Genegobis on Tuesday, August 1, 2022.Genegobis is the fifth Cebuano appointed by Frasco to her team at the DOT.Before Genegobis was appointed, Frasco appointed former Integrated Bar of the Philippines-Cebu City president Mae Elaine Bathan as undersecretary for legal and special concerns and as chief of staff.Aside from Bathan, also appointed as DOT undersecretary was former Liloan, northern Cebu councilor Ferdinand “Kokoy” Jumapao.Other Cebuanos appointed in Frasco’s team are her former aide in Liloan, Alven Talisic, who is now head executive assistant; and Ronald Conopio, who was named director of the department.Experience pays offGenegobis’ father, City of Naga Mayor Valdemar Chiong, told SunStar Cebu that he credited his daughter’s appointment in DOT to her experience in developing their city’s tourism ventures when she served as mayor of the city from 2016 to 2019.“Her appointment in DOT could really serve as an advantage to our city, especially on the development of our local tourism industry,” Chiong said in Cebuano.When she was still mayor of the component city, Genegobis led the development of the city’s Baywalk area and its Pasilong sa Naga, a public park designed by world-class Cebuano designer Kenneth Cobonpue.