DAVAO ORIENTAL – The newly installed Governor Corazon N. Malanyaon will personally oversee the operation of the province’s Tourism Office in her first 100 days.
She revealed this announcement during her first press briefing as local chief executive on Monday, July 4, 2022 at Honey’s Hotel Restaurant, Barangay Matiao, City of Mati, here.
She said she will set the directions of the office in the meantime while the headship of the office is still vacant.
Gov. Malanyaon, who completed her nine-years stint or three terms as governor from 2007 until 2016, have laid significant foundations on the province’s tourism sector, considering the province “has a lot to offer to the people, globally.”
One of the main attractions in Davao Oriental is the Mount Hamiguitan Range Wildlife Sanctuary or MHRWS which is the only UNESCO World Heritage Site in Mindanao.
Inscribed in 2014 in the UNESCO world heritage site list, MHRWS is the “Crowning Glory” of Davao Oriental since Gov. Malanyaon’s gubernatorial stint. It also became an ASEAN Heritage Park last 2016.
Gov. Malanyaon said she will implement stringent law enforcement for the protection of the mountain from possible illegal logging, quarrying and mining. The mountain covers three towns in the province which are the municipalities of San Isidro and Governor Generoso, and the City of Mati.
Another major attraction in the province is the Aliwagwag Waterfalls Ecopark.
Dubbed as “Stairway to Heaven,” the Aliwagwag Waterfalls Ecopark is one of the major tourist destinations in the province. It is situated in Barangay Aliwagwag of Cateel where people derived its name.
This waterfall with its surrounding beauty is a protected landscape that preserves a major drainage catchment in the southern Philippines. At a 338-meter height, Aliwagwag Falls is considered as the tallest waterfalls in the Philippines.
Gov. Malanyaon also mentioned the protection of the newly renowned Most Beautiful Bays – Pujada and Mayo Bays. She also cited other pristine beaches, lakes, rivers, waterfalls, mountains and culture of Davao Oriental that has been drawing people to come in, especially before the pandemic.
“We have set the foundations before the pandemic. I want to make Davao Oriental as the prime tourist destination in Davao Region,” she said.
Peoples’ Participation
“It is just a matter of getting the community as well as the whole provincial government, involved,” Gov. Malanyaon said to spur tourism activities that will boost province’s economy.
Gov. Malanyaon, based on her observations, said that developed countries all over the world offers viable and responsible tourism that greatly contributed to their economic growth.
“When thousands of people visit your place, thousands and thousands of dollars or peso will enter and circulate in your place,” she said believing that peoples’ participation and attitude towards tourists play vital roles in effective tourism activities.
Gov. Malanyaon also encouraged the people to “love your province and patronize the products that the province has.”
The former Provincial Tourism Officer, Mr. Miguelito V. Trocio, who served the position for the past 11 years now assumes a new role as the Provincial Government Department Head of Provincial Human Resources Management and Development Office. By Van Jorain O. Rufin, Photos by Eden Jhan Licayan
