International game fishing contest today in Siargao

CEBU, Philippines - Siargao Island, the surfing capital of the Philippines, will stage the second edition of the International Game Fishing (Angling) Competition beginning today in the coastal town of Pilar, Surigao del Norte.

Local and foreign anglers will join the three-day tilt that is expected to draw over a hundred entries from Australia, Canada, Russia, Taiwan, Malaysia, and the United States.

The competition is organized by Rep. Francisco Matugas of the First District of Surigao del Norte in association with the Department of Tourism through Secretary Joseph “Ace” Durano and the local government of Pilar.

Matugas said the event will surely put the Philippines, particularly Siargao, in the map as a major international game fishing venue and will boost the island’s tourism industry that features a world-class surfing destination.

Promoting sports tourism had been the ideals of Matugas because he believes that once the Cloud Nine mangrove forest is fully developed, it will become a major contributor to the upliftment of the lives of the people from Surigao del Norte.

Cloud Nine covers an area of 8,760 hectares surrounded by pristine white-sand beaches and tropical marine life-rich coral reefs, enough to be considered as the largest mangrove forest in the country. - GGM (THE FREEMAN)