AS the Department of Tourism (DOT) seeks to develop more dive destinations in the Philippines, it conducted a dive product audit activity on Monday (Mar. 25) in the Camotes Islands in Cebu.
Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco led the DOT diving team to Tulang Diot in the Municipality of San Francisco to conduct a dive audit towards ensuring dive tourism product development for the area.
Beneath the waves, the team was greeted by teeming marine life – different types of corals both hard and soft, sea fans, sea turtles, and schools of pelagic fish underscoring the island’s pristine underwater biodiversity.
Accompanying the Secretary, who sits as Chair of the DOT Dive Committee, were House Deputy Speaker Congressman Duke Frasco, DOT Undersecretary Shahlimar Hofer Tamano, and Philippine Commission on Sports Scuba Diving (PCSSD) Executive Director Marco Ancheta, who both sit as Vice Chair of the DOT Dive Committee, together with members of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG).
Following the dive, the Secretary also had a working lunch and met with municipal mayors in Camotes: San Francisco Mayor Alfredo Arquillano Jr., Tudela Mayor Greman Solante, and Pilar Mayor Manuel Santiago.
Under the stewardship of the local government unit (LGU) of San Francisco, Tulang Diot was transformed into a flourishing marine park through the LGU’s collaboration with Rare Philippines, a non-governmental organization dedicated to protecting and preserving natural resources.
The Municipality of San Francisco is a model on sustainability and disaster preparedness with the United Nations having conferred the prestigious Sasakawa Award to the town in 2011.
Winners are selected among nominees from around the world through an intensive judging process putting emphasis on sustainability of projects.
