DoT to unwrap new product: Coastal tourism

The Department of Tourism (DoT) - Region III is ready to launch its first coastal tourism project in Central Luzon just before the year is over.

The announcement was made by Regional Director Ronaldo Tiotuico during his regular visit to the coastal towns of Bulacan and Pampanga.

Tiotuico said that the ocular visit to the towns of Malolos, Hagonoy, Paombong, Calumpit in Bulacan as well as Sasmuan, Masantol and Guagua in Pampanga resulted in the discovery of a variety of exciting tourism-related activities which local and foreign tourists would definitely find more interesting and educational.

A case in point is the Pamarawan Village in Malolos which Mayor Danilo Domingo described as the Venice of Bulacan.

Just 30 minutes off the fishport in Panasahan, Pamarawan – the biggest coastal in the province – prides in its collection of tilapia and oyster products.

Along the stretch of the river channel a colorful stream of motorboats provide a sense of community as hundreds of village folk begin the day with their lucrative first trade.

What is interesting is that from the rustic village one can take a boat ride to CCP Complex along Roxas Boulevard in an hour’s time via Manila Bay.

The town of Hagonoy, on the other hand, takes pride in its being the biggest fishing village in the province of Bulacan with over 70 percent of its land area (equivalent to more than 400 hectares) devoted to fishing and other aquaculture activities.

Mayor Felix Ople, the son of Foreign Affairs Secretary Blas Ople, makes no bones about his pronouncement that the country being an archipelago should give prominence to aquaculture rather than industrial or agricultural development.

The town’s main product line includes the so-called Tiger Prawns and milkfish. Among the town’s pride are its dried fish and related Capiz products, bottled sardines and its famous vinegar “Sukang Hagonoy.”

He recalled that his father’s sentimental trip to Bulacan not too long ago brought all his classmates from UP to a reunion in Barangay Tibaguin where an island beach resort called Aroma Beach provided a restful solitude for the silvery haired delegation.

They took a boat ride on a “Casko” which is but an old roofed deck converted into a floating restaurant and driven by a motorized boat – a tradition in Bulacan most cherished by its returning sons and daughters.

Not too far is the so-called “Garden Village” of Carillo where the best and lowest priced ornamental plants may be bought.

The town’s famous national shrine of St. Anne never fails to inspire local tourists with spiritual fervor with the relics of the saint interred in its hollowed ground.

The itinerary for the coastal tour package covers the entire length of the Labangan channel off the mouth of the Manila Bay and cuts across the towns of Malolos, Paombong, Hagonoy and onto Calumpit towards Pampanga.

Among the activities to be offered include fishing, river rafting, canoeing along a line of palm trees and mangrove, lunch on a floating restaurant with unique cultural performances and a chance to bring home fishy delicacies from the province. (PNA)