P100-M CamSur-type water sports complex to rise in Ecija

PALAYAN CITY ,Philippines  – Inspired by the experience of Camarines Sur (CamSur) the provincial government of Nueva Ecija is constructing a P100-million tourism park and water sports complex in this provincial capital.

Nueva Ecija Gov. Aurelio Umali said the tourism project centers on the development of the Aulo Dam irrigation project as the nerve center of water sports activities, similar to the CamSur Watersports Complex (CWC), which is fast becoming a major tourist attraction.

The development of the P295-million, 27-meter high Aulo Dam will be undertaken through a P100-million loan package in collaboration with the Department of National Defense (DND), the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the National Irrigation Administration (NIA).

“This development of the Aulo Dam is very much like CamSur except that what we are developing is a dam, unlike CamSur which developed a man-made lake,” Umali said.

Umali said Aulo Development Park will feature a zipline, zafari and zoo and offer activities for wakeboarding, motorbike, mountain trail and camp site.

“Nueva Ecija is the next big thing to Metro Manila and we will capitalize on our water resources to breathe life to tourism because water is life,” he said.

He said the provincial government is tapping CamSur Gov. Luis Raymond Villafuerte as consultant in developing the tourism park and sports complex.

Umali said local officials in the province recently visited CamSur and they were awed by its success story in tourism. He noted that with the establishment of its water sports complex, CamSur emerged as the 10th richest province.

“It’s amazing how tourists now go gaga over CamSur. We have to learn from its experience and take it from there to carve a niche for Nueva Ecija as an emerging tourist mecca,” he said.

The CWC features a world-class six-hectare complex with a six-point cable ski system for cable skiing, wakeboarding, knee boarding, water skiing and wake skating.

Tourists and water sports enthusiasts from around the world have flocked to seek out adventures in CamSur which also hosted several high-profile events, including the annual Summit Water CamSur Marathon and the Ultimate Wake Championship, two of the country’s most important sporting events which include athletes from as far as the United States, Europe, South Africa and from all over Asia.