Tag Archives: mountain range

Pygmy forest, waterfalls, sunrise, and a lighthouse in Davao Oriental

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BusinessWorld Online
Carmelito Q. Francisco
November 27, 2014

DAVAO ORIENTAL, one of the four provinces in the Davao Region, was recently in the news as its Mt. Hamiguitan Range Wildlife Sanctuary made it to the World Heritage List of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

The 6,834-hectare mountain range, home to a centuries-old pygmy forest and rare flora and fauna, is now being developed by the local government as one of the four priority eco-tourism sites.

The other three are the Aliwagwag Protected Landscape, Pusan Point, and Cape San Agustin.

“We are also identifying the tourism potentials of each town,” said Governor Corazon N. Malanyaon, who initiated the Mt. Hamiguitan UNESCO Heritage list application in 2007.

The province has 10 towns and one city, Mati, which is also the capital.

For Mt. Hamiguitan, the provincial government has already secured P20 million in funding from the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority for the establishment of facilities within the three-hectare buffer zone at the foot of the mountain.

Restricted access will be maintained at the heritage site itself, which is one of the few remaining habitats of the endangered Philippine Eagle.

Janet M. Lopoz, executive director of the Mindanao Development Authority, said funding has also been set for the development of the Aliwagwag Protected Landscape, whose main features are a waterfall and forest areas that attract at least 64 bird species.

Pusan Point, meanwhile, is in the area of Caraga which the weather bureau identified as the first to witness the so-called Millennium Sunrise on Jan. 1, 2000.

Ms. Malanyaon said that the provincial government, with the help of the Department of Public Works and Highways, has been developing the road going to the viewpoint area at the eastern side of Mindanao island.

OLDEST LIGHTHOUSE
Cape San Agustin, home to the oldest known lighthouse in Mindanao, is located at the tip of Governor Generoso town and considered a historical site — Saint Francis Xavier is said to have held mass there in 1550.

In recent years, Mati City has also become a popular beach destination, particularly for surfing.

“We have become among the most visited provinces in the country,” Ms. Malanyaon said.

The province also holds the distinction of being the first local government unit in the country whose tourism master plan was mandated by a law for inclusion in the Department of Tourism’s national tourism plan.

GUARDIANS OF THE FOREST
On Nov. 7, The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR)-Forest Management Bureau and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH signed a memorandum of agreement (MoA) with the local governments of Davao Oriental and the municipalities of Caraga, Manay and Tarragona for the implementation of the REDD+ program (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation in Developing Countries).

Davao Oriental, the second site identified by the DENR for REDD+ activities, was chosen specifically because of the presence of indigenous peoples (IPs), who are considered guardians of the forests.

REDD+ is an international initiative aiming to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through the protection of forests, including tree planting activities and proper land use planning, also to protect the rights of forest dwellers.

The MoA, signed as part of the celebration for the Philippines-Germany 60 years of diplomatic relations, aims to strengthen coordination between the national and local government units on forest protection and sustainable forest management by, among others, reducing shifting cultivation and timber poaching, in support of the National Greening Program.

Samal City: world-class tourist destination

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BusinessWeek Mindanao
By Joe Palabao
May 11, 2011

ISLAND Garden City of Samal––Tourism Project: Visit Samal Island is a three-month summer tourist escapades for all foreign and domestic tourists and enjoy bundle of benefits and world-class amenities offered by the 27 beaches and inland resorts of the enchanted Island Garden City of Samal (IGACOS) from March 2011 to May 2011.

Through a public, private partnership (PPP), the Department of Tourism in Region 11, with the able leadership of Regional Director Art Boncato Jr., the local government of Samal with its dynamic local executive, Mayor Aniano P. Antalan and the Samal Tourism Council innovative chairman Dr. Austerio “Bebot” Obenza bring to the “World of Tourism” the first-ever Samal Visit Island Project to attract more tourists to visit the island.

With the project, it is with pride and pleasure that Samal Passport is presented to all foreign and domestic tourists and are available and found in all major malls in the country and visitors arriving in major ports, where tourists can pick them up and bring to Samal City as passport, capture the beauty of the island, and for the visitors to genuinely enjoy the huge discounts offered by the participating resorts of Samal City.

Samal Passports invite the tourists from all over the world to discover, explore and experience Samal. Enjoy the island of sun, sand and seas and highland thrills, and make each visit a reason to come back again and again.

In an interview, Dr. Bebot Obenza-Chairman of the Island Garden City of Samal Tourism told BusinessWeek Mindanao that Visit Samal Island Project is the first of its kind under the public, private partnership being facilitated by his office with the support of members of Samal City Resort Owners Association to attract more tourists to visit the island. The same project will also be offered during lean months to see the extent of tourists arrivals of the City.

To date there are 48 resorts Samal City comprising the high end resorts for the AB market, middle end for the C market and the low end for all to enjoy to include the locales.

At A Glance: The Island Garden City of Samal is a group of islands in the heart of Davao Gulf and its sea waters and reefs are within the 1.6 million square kilometers stretch land area of the BIMP-EAGA Equator which is claimed to be Mother’s Earth true center of Biodiversity. Physically unattached to the mainland of Mindanao, the island is 900 meters east of Davao City and 10 kilometers of continuous coastline and with an extensive mountain range at the eastern coast, a number of isolated hills and uneven distribution of lowlands.

Participating resorts are the following: Hof Gorei Beach Resort, Paradise Island Park and Beach Resort, Pearl Farm Beach Resort, Punta del Sol Beach Resort Restaurant and Aqua Sports, Marex Beach Resort, Chemas By The Sea, Golden Bay Beach Resort and SPA, Blue Jaz, Club Asiano Beach Resort, Captain Hook’s Red Parrot Inn, Aznebo Grill and Restaurant, Rainbow Breeze Beach Resort, Island Ridge Mountain Resort, Fernandez Beach Resort, Mahan Garden Resort, Hagimit Falls, Mayumi Disney Sea Beach Resort, HI-5 Princess Tropical Inland Resort, Camp Holiday Resort and Recreation Area, Blue Water Village and Resort, Sea Grass Beach Resort, Ilihan Beach Resort, Precious Garden of Samal, Florenda’s Beach Resort, Maxima Resort Aqua Fun, Ato Ni Bay (ANB) Hotel and Wind and Wave Davao.