by Dino Balabo
MALOLOS
CITY—A mountain gorge sliced by the Balaong River lined with natural limestone
formations, Biak-na-Bato National Park in San Miguel town provides an
eco-adventure steeped in history.
It
is also home to dozens of caves, many of which were used as conference rooms,
clinics, armories and sleeping quarters of revolutionaries led by Gen. Emilio
Aguinaldo over a century ago. In the nearby mountain town of Donya Remedios
Trinidad, magnificent and well preserved caves can be found along with a number
of waterfalls.
These
are only some of the potential tourist destinations in eastern Bulacan that
must further be developed according to Ronnie Tiotuico, director of the
Department of Tourism for Central Luzon (DOT-3).
He
said that domestic and foreign tourists are now looking for destinations that
are natural and can provide more adventure which are usually located in rural
areas.
“Rural
towns and villages have better tourism potentials than their counterparts in
urban areas like cities,” Tiotuico said. This came as DOT- 3 pushed for the
development of community- based rural tourism (CBRT) which focuses on
potentials of villages in the region. Tiotuico said that CBRT will generate
livelihood and additional income to rural families.
“All
you need is for a group, look for a place here in Bulacan, talk to the leaders
in the community, teach them how to manage tourism and you will improve quality
of lives in far flung barangays,” Tiotuico told hundreds of students who
participated in a symposium here dubbed as “Bulacan for Every Juan.”
The
said symposium was organized by Tourism students of the Bulacan State
University (BulSU). Tiotuico explained the tourism potentials include local
products, culture, sceneries and even food.
He
said that DOTIII did the same in Barangay Sta. Juliana in Capas, Tarlac Erwin
Valenzuela, president of the Bulacan Tourism Convention and Visitors Bureau
(BTCVB) and an active adventure tourism guide, affirmed what Tiotuico said,
citing the many visitors he brought to Biak-Na-Bato National park and caves in
DRT town.
He
said that aside from appreciating natural ecology, many tourists now are into
adventure like rock and mountain climbing, trekking and cave exploration. Rosie
Bautista, the municipal tourism officer of Baliwag, advised her fellow tourism
officers to be always on the lookout for tourism potentials in their
localities.
“There
are many places that we can offer to domestic and international tourists, we
just need to be open-minded and update,” she said, adding that tourism can be
as simple as local delicacy, culture and scenery not usually found in other
places.
