Biri Island Rock Formations among top 10 Phl gems

CATARMAN, Northern Samar , Philippines   â€“ The Biri Island Rock Formations in Biri town this province ranked fifth in the search for the Top 10 Philippine Gems of auditing firm Isla Lipana & Co.

Other destinations that made in the Top 10 are Calaguas Island (Camarines Norte), Lake Sebu (South Cotabato), Tubbataha Reef Natural Park (Palawan), Caramoan Island (Camarines Sur), Mt. Kanlaon (Negros), Danjugan Island (Negros Occidental), Panglao Island (Bohol), Apo Island (Negros Oriental), and Batanes.

The search is part of the auditing firm’s corporate social responsibility, as it marked its 91st anniversary by promoting the country’s best tourist destinations.

“It is envisions (to attract) both domestic and foreign tourists that would hopefully encourage business investments,” said lawyer Alexander Cabrera of Isla Lipana & Co.

At least 175 tourist destinations were submitted in the search, but this was later trimmed down to 50 and the subsequent final list of 25, which was subjected to online voting, according to organizers.

The online voting started last June 26 and ended Sept. 25, three months after the launch. The organizers had to extend the deadline twice to allow more people to vote.

The Biri Island Rock Formations, which face the Pacific Ocean, have drawn raves from local and foreign tourists who marvel at their shape, having been sculpted by waves through time. A number of films, helmed mostly by directors who hail from Samar, were shot at the site.

The area was declared a protected seascape and landscape by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in 2000.

It was the lone tourist destination from Eastern Visayas that vied in the search, according to Biri Mayor Antonio de los Reyes Jr.

Purificacion Daloos, DENR Region 8 information officer, said her agency campaigned for the Biri Island Rock Formations to be voted as a top Philippine gem.

“Since our agency is a member of REAL or the Region Eight’s Administrators’ League, our regional executive director, Manolito Ragub, issued a memo to all provincial, city and municipal environment officers for them to vote and allow all (their) employees to vote for Biri,” Daloos said.

“We prayed hard for Biri to be on top of the list. Topping or to be part of the top 10 of the search will mean more publicity, more tourists, job opportunities and support from the government,” Daloos added.

The board of judges of the search was chaired by Caloy Libosada of the Asian Institute of Tourism of the University of the Philippines.

The other judges were representatives of the Department of Tourism Trade Promotions Board, blogger James Betia (who wrote the book “100 Days Around the Philippines on P50K Budget”), Love Anover of GMA 7, movie and TV director Jose Reyes, Turista Magazine editor-at-large Jing Leano, and Junie del Mundo and Cosette Romero from the business community.