Provincial Tourism and Cultural Affairs Office

Ms. Maria Luisa Amor-Elduayan

Department Head
Provincial Tourism and Cultural Affairs Office

Ms. Maria Luisa Amor-Elduayan, Department Head of the Provincial Tourism and Cultural Affairs Office (PTCAO), has committed her professional life to her pinablin Pangasinan serving the provincial government in various positions since 1993.

Ms. Elduayan first worked at the Office of the Provincial Governor as Project Development Officer III, moved on to serve as Assistant Provincial Information Officer at the Provincial Information Office, and was installed as Chief Tourism Operations Officer of the Tourism Operations and Parks Administration Division of the Office of the Provincial Governor in 2005.

It was hereon that the introduction of tourism governance under the local government structure was organized and cascaded into the various local government units province-wide as the various administrations of the provincial government recognized the role of the tourism industry as a major economic driver and included tourism development and promotions as one of its major development thrusts. Recognizing as well that the foundations of Pangasinan’s tourism is its natural and cultural heritage, cultural education and preservation has been an imperative thrust. Ms. Elduayan’s developmental works thus included establishing linkages and organizing various tourism players and stakeholders, cultural bearers and workers from government, private/business sector, and civic/non-government groups into tourism-oriented, cultural-minded, purpose-driven associations. Following significant strides made toward the evolution of the tourism industry in Pangasinan and with the passage of R.A. 9593 or The Tourism Act of 2009 and R.A. 10066 or The Culture Act of 2009, the provincial government institutionalized its tourism department by creating the Provincial Tourism and Cultural Affairs Office (PTCAO) through Provincial Ordinance No. 184-2014 and installing Ms. Elduayan as its first Department Head.

Throughout her work, Ms. Elduayan was recognized as one of the Woman Leaders of Pangasinan by the Pangasinan State University’s Center for Gender Studies in 2006, received the Gawad ng Pagpapahalaga Award from the Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino in 2012, and the Pag-asa ng Bayan Award from the Provincial Government of Pangasinan in 2018. She also received a Presidential Award of Excellence from the Association of Tourism Officers of the Philippines (ATOP) in 2008 and in 2013, as she has served this organization in various capacities as Region 1 Representative, National Secretary-General, Treasurer, and Vice-President for Luzon from 2007 to 2019.

Believing in the value of continuing learning and development, Ms. Elduayan continually pursued Certificate Courses to include the Development of a Conservation Management Plan (CMP) and Safeguarding Mechanism for Intangible Cultural Heritage, and Cultural Heritage Tourism and Heritage Education and Interpretation, through the US Embassy’s Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation, and an ATOP Grant, respectively. These, with the UST Graduate School-Center for Conservation of Cultural Property and Environment in the Tropics (USTGS-CCCPET) and the Center for Continuing Professional Education and Development (USTGS-CCPED). In 2019, Ms. Elduayan represented the Philippines as a scholar in the International Cooperation Program of the Government of Japan through JICA’s Knowledge Co-Creation Program, “Capacity Development on Sustainable Tourism based on Japanese Tradition Omotenashi.”

Ms. Elduayan graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Mass Communications at St. Louis University, Baguio City and received her Masters in Business Administration (MBA) in Virgen Milagrosa University, San Carlos City. Before she signed in with the Provincial Government of Pangasinan, she worked as a Travel Correspondent under the daily Manila Chronicle, and as a Public Relations Officer of the Philippine Ports Authority, Port District of Luzon serving the ports of San Fernando City, Batangas, Legaspi, and Puerto Princesa.

She is married to Ernesto V. Elduayan, a freelance visual artist and sculptor and they are blessed with three (3) sons – Skai, Chanum, and Cherub.