Mining Tours: Baguio’s future tourist attraction

There are a million reasons to go to Baguio. Aside from its cool weather, the colorful Flower Festival or Panagbenga, and several tourist attractions, people continue to come here to spend their honeymoon, conduct conventions, take school field trips, have romantic adventures and summer vacations.

They come here also to study in learning institutions like UP, St. Louis and more specifically the Philippine Military Academy (PMA).

Baguio is the region’s business center producing agricultural products, as well as stuffs from its export processing zone located near the Loakan export.

Another come-on for foreign and local tourists is the "ukay-ukay" or secondhand clothing. Ukay-ukay shops housed on buildings or complexes called "centers" sprouted at the busy Session Road and Burnham Park district along with the many stalls that line the various corners of the city.

Just recently, former Tourism Secretary and senatorial bet Richard Gordon urged local leaders in the city to create new tour packages for tourists to keep them coming and to further reinforce Baguio’s reputation as a multifaceted destination with limitless offerings. One of these is to convert mining sites into tourist attractions.

In a meeting with Benguet Gov. Raul Molintas, local labor union members and officials at the Philex Mining Corporation in Tuba, Benguet, Gordon vowed to help the workers who are facing the prospect of losing their jobs due to the company’s expected closure in 2011 because of exhaustion of mineral reserves.

"We must be pro-active and ready for any developments since we know that in about seven years, the province’s main source of livelihood will cease operations. One option is to convert the mining sites into tourist attractions," Gordon said.

He challenged the mining community to lead the way in preserving the area’s rich natural resources, cultural and historic treasures and come up with a mining tour package so that they have a ready alternative when the mining firm closes shop in the future.

Gordon also volunteered to be the groups’ consultant and pledged to assist in drafting out a proposal to establish a mining tourism program in the region.

He cited his experience in Olongapo as mayor when Americans left the US naval base in Subic.

"A decade before the Americans left Subic naval base in Zambales, we already had an alternative economic plan, which came in handy when the Americans did leave 12 years later. We must also have an alternative here in Benguet which has mining as one of its anchor industries," Gordon said.

He also urged local folks to "work, save and invest to prosper," adding, "that a model community may not have the richest and best environment but it would have the best and brightest people."

Gov. Molintas supported Gordon’s idea since it will assure workers in the mining industry a steady source of livelihood.

The Philex mining community was awarded by the United Nations as one of the 50 model communities all over the world in 1995. The same community is also a Hall of Fame Awardee for Most Outstanding Credit Cooperative in the Philippines with its Philex Community Credit Cooperative established in 1965.