DOT launches ecological park

GUIMARAS – The Department of Tourism (DOT) launched here on Saturday a United Nations-funded ecological park, which aims to revive tourism two years after a major oil spill hit the island province.

Tourism Secretary Joseph Ace Durano said the Guisi Discovery Quest would provide jobs to communities affected by the oil spill, particularly residents of the hard-hit town of Nueva Valencia.

“The Department of Tourism consistently promotes the local attractions and activities in this area to show the healing capabilities of ecological tourism to a distressed community and its environment,” Durano said in a press conference.

Although he could not say whether the province has already fully recovered from the disaster, Durano said Guimaras “is better now” than in previous years.

The tourism chief said about 18 percent of the coastal areas of the island was affected by the oil spill, but alternative livelihood has been provided by the government to residents who are highly dependent on fishing.

Durano said the entire province would benefit from this venture by providing them opportunities to work as guides, kitchen staff and maintenance crew to varied nature-based programs.

“We are very proud that rural areas in the country are being benefited by tourism,” he said.

Guimaras was part of Iloilo province until 1992, when it was proclaimed a full-fledged province. The smallest and youngest province in Western Visayas, Guimaras is a 20-minute boat ride from Iloilo City.

The Discovery Quest offers an array of activities that range from mountain biking, trekking, snorkeling, rappelling and boating.

Durano said the United Nations Development Program donated a total of P995,600 for skills development and acquisition of various equipment.

The oil tanker M/T Solar I, carrying more than two million liters of bunker fuel, sank on Aug. 11, 2006 in the Guimaras Strait off the coast of Guimaras and Negros Occidental provinces, causing some 500,000 liters of oil to pour into the strait.

According to the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC), the oil spill has adversely affected marine sanctuaries and mangrove reserves in three out of five municipalities in Guimaras and reached the shores of Iloilo and Negros Occidental.

The oil spill occurred in the Visayas Sea, considered a rich fishing ground that supplies much of the country’s demand, the NDCC said.

Several causes have been mentioned, including bad weather and human error.

Allegations have been made that the tanker only had a capacity of 1.2 million, implying the possibility of overloading. Other investigations have claimed that the captain of the ship was incapable of managing it.

The launch of the eco-park coincides with the annual celebration of the Manggahan (Mango) Festival. Guimaras is famous for producing the sweetest mangoes in the world.

Guimaras Gov. Felipe Hilan Nava said the province has remained the country’s only exporter of mangoes to the United States and Australia.

The Manggahan Festival commemorates the founding anniversary of Guimaras as a province.

Local executives of Guimaras have decided to move the Manggahan Festival previously held on the third week of May, to an earlier schedule, April 16 to 21.

Officials said the move was aimed to further improve the yearly celebration.

“The holding of the Manggahan Festival in April is most appropriate since the month is still part of the mango season. It is also in April when many tourists flock to Guimaras,” Nava said.

He, however, said the commemoration of the founding anniversary of Guimaras as a province on May 22 will be retained.

Durano said Guimaras plays host to thousands of foreign visitors yearly, most of them South Koreans. But domestic travelers outnumber foreign visitors, he said.