The soft opening of the eco-tourism attraction was done simultaneously with the ground-breaking ceremony of the Provincial Pavilion to be constructed atop a hill overlooking the Agas-Agas Bridge, considered by bridge builders as the longest and the tallest bridge in the Philippines.

The ground-breaking ceremony of the proposed building where extreme adventure enthusiasts and tourists are to be housed temporarily while waiting for their turn to zipline down the mountain was led by Congressman Roger Mercado and Governor Damian Mercado. It was witnessed by some provincial and city officials and employees, Mayors, some city and barangay officials and the barrio folks.

However, the kind of sandy-looking soil atop the hill for the proposed construction of the provincial pavilion needs some steel or iron reinforcement and embankment to make it strong and durable to resist a potential earthquake tremor that would possibly rock Agas-Agas.

Also present to witness the soft opening of tandem ziplines as well as the provincial pavilion ground-breaking ceremony were, among others, DPWH’s Engr. Celso Veloso, Leyte Vice- Governor Memit Bagulaya, Maasin Mayor Maloney Samaco and some city officials ,DTI-Maasin Michael Nuñez and his staff,DTI-Regional Director Cynthia Miras and some of her staff,DYDM Manager Rev. Arniel Borneo,Rev Celso Paler,Kahupian Brgy.Captain Cristina Kagurol,Dept. of Tourism Regional Director Carina Rosa Teopes ,Abgao Barangay Captain Nacional “Nikko” Verano Mercado.

Tourism Development

Engr. Robert Catañares, President of the newly-organized Southern Leyte Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Inc.(SLCCII) revealed to the thick audience that 95% of the businesses in the province were classified as micro-entrepreneurs. The agricultural sector was down with the bunchy top pests attacking the abaca plantations in various municipalities, he said. While 9 Maasin barangays coconut plantations were already infested with brontispa pest.

He further disclosed that 200,000 workers were all employed in different government agencies and offices and only small percentage of private employers have hired to work in their businesses.

He then concluded that the only way to let the province of Southern Leyte become progressive and provide employment to the hundreds of jobless individuals is the development of tourism in every municipality that has tourist spots.

Castañares told the crowd that from 2011 up to 2013 “we will focus here in our region (Region 8 Leyte and Samar) before embarking in other places”. Cable cars and bungee jumping will also be constructed in the Mega Bridge. “We intend to finish these projects in time for the 51st anniversary celebration of the province of Southern Leyte”,he said.

He added to say that a 25-hectare animal teen park shall also be built at the Maasin City Forest Park, formerly Danao Reforestation Project of the DENR in brgy.Malapoc Norte.

MOA Signing

Governor Damian Mercado for his part informed the audience that a MOA was signed between the provincial government and former Presidential Assistant for Eastern Visayas Vic Domingo, allowing the former to develop the tallest bridge thru private-public partnership for the enhancement of tourism in the area.

The Governor also urged the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) not to allow farmers in the nearby areas to engage in kaingin farming and to preserve/protect the forested surroundings of Agas-Agas from poachers including legal and illegal loggers.

He said he intends to also have a MOA signed between the provincial government and DENR to make such agreement more effective and implementable.

He likewise admonished the barangay folks in the area to treat both local and foreign tourists with respect and hospitality and to patronize the local businesses.

Mercado further enjoined the Mayors of the 18 municipalities to allow and encourage their respective bulk of students from different schools to visit the Agas-Agas Bridge particularly during semestral breaks and summer vacations.

Inviting Micro-entrepreneurs

On the other hand, Congressman Mercado, the Governor’s older brother has expressed his elation that the new bridge construction has provided a comfortable rides for travellers in going to Tacloban and other parts of region 8(Leyte and Samar).

Like the Governor, he also invited micro-entrepreneurs to sell foods and souvenir items near the bridge and for investors to build cottages as their rest houses and for rent to tourists/visitors while they are not occupying it.

In an interview with the contractor Edwin Sacdalan of Camp Sabros, Digos City, Davao del Sur, he divulged that the estimated P1.7M first tandem ziplines in Eastern Visayas has a length of more or less 880 meters each. That is from the starting point at the topmost part of a hill, down to the other side of the road across the bridge.

The two ziplines were placed parallel to each other, which would take only more or less than 30 seconds to reach the end of the cable wires with stoppers both installed at the end.

Since the opening is free of charge, several curious officials, visitors and extreme adventure enthusiasts were queuing the line. They patiently waited for their turn to test their mettle and the ziplines’ durability.

Additional Ziplines

Sacdalan also informed that an additional 2 or 3 ziplines might be constructed to meet the needs among the extreme adventure enthusiasts that will come to Agas-Agas.

The Leyte and Samar tri-media representatives were also welcome to try it. Nonetheless, the long queue and the fact that all of them have been interviewing personalities involved in the realization of the tourism project, majority of them just let the chance passed by.

Those who have tried the tandem ziplines were the youngest SP member Daisy Gumale of District 2, Anahawan Mayor Roberto Loquinte, President of Southern Leyte Mayors’ League, Carina Rosa Teopes, Brian Sadoguio of the Provincial GSO, City Councilor Nestor Sy, Sr.’s youngest daughter Panny together with her sister-in-law’s younger sister and some other unidentified individuals.

Moreover, the incumbent Governor after talking to some officials present atop the hill was amazed upon learning that Daisy was one of those who tested the zipline.

The very first to test the zipline as a sample for everybody to see was Sacdalan’s companion. He chose to hang himself in an upside down position-that is his head was below and his feet up!

Australian Jack Reed, 68 years old, married to a Filipina, who was one of those who tried the new tandem ziplines, confided that he has already been riding high up the air via zipline in several occasions.

Nonetheless, his very young companion, obviously a close relative of his Filipina wife has vomited right after riding the zipline. It was his very first time to be up in the air. Extreme adventure enthusiasts here in Region 8 and other places can now have their time of recreation, fun and excitement at the Agas-Agas Bridge. (Quirico M. Gorpido,Jr.)

Youtube Video

This was his conclusion after he and his newly-organized group Southern Leyte Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SLCCI) conducted a province-wide studies of the economic endeavor that the pubic and the private sector were engaging.

“The dollar-earner abaca industry was wiped out by unpreventable infestation of airborne pests called bunchy top attacking all the plantations in different municipalities”, he pointed out. He stressed that the coconut industry, the second relied-on plants among the farmers earned P380M annually will go down if the brontispa infestation will not be checked out or prevented. Although palay (rice) was rated as good, he said, it’s not really much. “The farmers also lack of raw materials and major devices in cultivating their farms.”

“In business, 95% being registered are classified as micro-entrepreneurs, with only 50% small employers market,” he said. “Government agencies/offices were the biggest employers in the province employing 200,000 workers,” he disclosed to the members of the press, both broadcast and print media.

On real property taxes and other business taxes the percentage of collection were low, he said, with 80% of LGUs’ budgets were IRA-dependent.” But our tourism potential is not fully harness by LGUs”. He explained that the province has several tourist destinations that need to be developed to attract local and foreign tourists.

Castañares said the policies and regulations used by successful tourist places like Cebu, Bohol, Boracay, Siargao, Palawan and other well-known tourist destinations of the country can be studied and adopted by Southern Leyte tourism officials found applicable to the province. He said that in this new undertaking, agreements between the LGUs, the provincial government and the business sector were formulated as partners in this new approach. And the role of the government agencies is to provide infrastructure like roads and bridges leading to these tourist spots.

The private sector, referring to businessmen in the entire province who some of them are now members of the newly-organized Southern Leyte Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SLCCI), will take charge of the man-made attractions like buildings and other amenities near the location of tourist sites.

He confided that the province has already 500 air-conditioned rooms. “However, there’s still the need for the government and the private sector to provide clean and modern restrooms. Transportation services from Tacloban to Maasin and vice versa and the completion of basic facilities necessary to meet the tourists’ needs should be put in place”, he said.

The Business Development Analyst also emphasized that there’s also the need to amend some rules, regulations and policies of LGUs to make it investor-friendly, like providing tax holidays to newly-established businesses and the like.

In this connection, Castañares cited a 30-room hotel in Silago made of first class hardwood by a foreigner married to local lass. “Instead of providing moral support to his new business by imposing a minimum, tax”, he intimated, “the LGU did the reverse by imposing a maximum tax”. With that move, he said, the owner of the new hotel was discouraged and decided to close the hotel.

He explained that if 30 people will occupy every room, paying P5, 000.00 each per month that would have total earnings of P150, 000.00 per month. Multiply that by 12 months, it would be P1.8M or P2M a year, he said. “If it was allowed to operate with a minimum tax”, he continued, “the locality would benefit from it. But they do not know what they do not know”.

Included in the Southern Leyte Tourism Framework is the establishment of Tourist Hub in 4 places like Maasin, Sogod, Silago and Napantaw Dive Resort in San Francisco, Panaon Island. For Maasin proposed is as shopping mall with a cinema, development of Cagnituan Cave, the plan to build a 125-hectare Zoo at the Maasin Forest Park (formerly Danao Reforestation Project) to be named Zoo Leyte.

Castañares said that the builder of the proposed Zoo would come from the Subic Bay Zoo. “When the tourism industry in the province would already take off,” he said, “there’s also a plan to construct a 9-hole gulf course inside the MFP,” he added.

For the extreme adventure at the newly-finished, 350-meter length, 75-meter height, P1.024B the Agas-Agas Bridge, construction of zipline has already been started, he said, and it would be completed before the end of April this year.”A cable car will also be built”, he said.

For Silago he presented slides showing pictures of canopy walk. He claimed the tourist attraction has utilized about 40 to 50 feet apitong tree, which is also about 40 to 50 feet high.”This would make tourists to see 3 waterfalls after walking atop the canopy walk for 15 meters distance”. He said a coffee shop and a restaurant shall be built there soon.

Napantaw Dive Resort in San Francisco, which is one of the beautiful dive sites in the world, will also be developed. He said that Napantaw is one of the favorite sites for scuba diving and snorkelers.

Castañares disclosed that he has proposed to the LGUs where investors are engaged in tourism-related businesses to grant them 5-year tax holidays from 2011 up to 2016. “One of the effective ways to attract local and foreign tourists for the promotion of tourist destinations of the province is to invite travel agencies personnel to tour Southern Leyte”, he said. “Although the LGUs have to provide funds for such purpose for the guests touring in various areas of the place including foods and accommodations while staying here, but later on it would be compensated since they are the ones who will be spreading what they saw and their experiences while visiting Southern Leyte”.

He said in the offices of the travel agencies brochures on tourist destinations of the place can be made available for the local and foreign tourists to pick up as guides and references. While big billboards announcing the province’s tourism slogan like for instance, “Southern Leyte- remote, rural and rustic-the playground of region 8” will be posted conspicuously at NAIA-Manila, Cebu Mactan Airport, Ormoc and Tacloban airports.

Earlier, Castañares revealed that in September last year, the Southern Leyte Chamber of Commerce and Industry(SLCCI) was organized thru the sponsorship of the Department of Trade and Industry and GTZ, now changed to GEZ (German Economic Cooperation).It was held at Kuting Reef Beach Resort and Spa in Brgy. Asuncion, Macrohon. It has 50 initial members with Engr. Robert Castañares nominated as its Chairman of the Board. Mike Udtohan of the College of Maasin was the Vice-Chairman.

He added that “tourism is a community activity that would create wealth and provide employment to the people.”

“Every great accomplishment is a dream before it becomes a reality. Our vision is not simply to survive but to excel. Teamwork, discipline, dedication and unwavering faith in a God would solve for our lack of resources.” Quoting Lee Kwan Yew, former Prime Minister of Singapore. The SLCCI chair added another quote,” If you build it, they (it) will come”.(Kevin Costner, Field of Dreams).

Records of the summary of tourists’ arrival from the Southern Leyte Tourism, Investment and Promotions Center show the following figures. From January to December 2008-Maasin City: domestic-12, 977, foreign-1,259=total 14,236; Southern Leyte: domestic-13, 810, foreign-1,452= total 15,262.Total numbers for both Maasin City and the province of Southern Leyte are 29,498;

From January to December 2009-Maasin City: domestic-14,337, foreign-1,056=total 15,393; Southern Leyte: domestic-10,998, foreign-3,202= total 14,190. Total umbers for both Maasin City and Southern Leyte are 29,583;

From January to June 2010.No report yet from July to December-Maasin City: domestic-9, 105, foreign-483=total 9,588; Southern Leyte: domestic-7,121, foreign-1,744=total 8,865. Total numbers for both Maasin City and Southern Leyte are 18,453.

The top ten tourists’ arrivals of foreign nationalities during the yearly report were Germany, United States of America, United Kingdom, China, Australia, Japan, Austria, Canada, France and Korea. (Quirico M. Gorpido, Jr.)