Loboc River cruises back
Loboc, Bohol, Philippines - Town mayor Helen Caliposan Alaba is bent on regaining the businesses at the 2.8-kilometer commercial stretch of the Loboc River with the reopening of cruise operations yesterday.
The tourism-related activity, which pumps up the local economy with an estimated P75 million annual revenue, was stalled after gates 3 and 4 of four entry points were destroyed during the Oct. 15 earthquake.
“Mobakud gyud ta (We will rise up). We won’t succumb to this predicament,†Alaba said.
The Loboc Floating Restaurant operations were the first to have been given the go signal to reopen after the quake, which killed close to 200 people, destroyed hundres of structures, and displaced hundreds of thousands.
Apart from the destruction of the gates and the collapse of the famed Loboc Church, the town was spared from massive damage caused by a ruptured ground in the northeastern side of the province.
The Church of San Pedro, which has been declared by the National Council for Culture and the Arts as a heritage site, now lay in ruins after the quake.
Town officials expect the reopening of river cruises to cover the estimated P1 million lost income caused by ceased operations for over a week.
The Loboc River cruises gets a daily average of 1,000 tourists, who pay a P100 entrance fee and are served by four river restaurant operators. (FREEMAN)
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