MANILA, Philippines - Palompon town in Leyte, home of the now world-renowned Kalanggaman Island, has captured for the third straight year the “Best Tourism Oriented LGU (Municipality Category)” in the Association of Tourism Officers of the Philippines (ATOP) Pearl Award 2016 held in Clark, Pampanga last Oct. 6, elevating it to the Hall of Fame.
Mayor Ramon Oñate thanked the “great people of Palompon” for helping the town get the award for three straight years. “Without them, their wholehearted cooperation, we could not have done it,” he said.
Aside from aggressively promoting “Kalanggaman Island” which is now a stopover of luxury cruise ships of the Hapag-Lloyd Cruises for their Asian junkets, the town has developed its diving sites, underwater caves, bird and bat-watching adventures and, recently, adventure treks and climbs.
The town is also known for its products like dried danggit, pineapple tarts, salted anchovies and others.
Palompon’s tourism program is run by a private foundation, but is supported by the local government through needed legislation like setting up of rules and regulations.
Oñate said he believes that tourism should be a privately-led endeavor. “We in government are just the catalysts. For the program to be sustained, the private sector should take the lead because it is them who stands most to benefit from its success.”
Kalanggaman Island used to earn a measly annual income of P23,000. Now, the town earns millions in regulatory fees from visitors flocking to the white sand paradise.