Dapitan City eyes Aliguay, Selinog islands as eco-tourism havens

By Teofilo T. Garcia

DAPITAN CITY, Zamboanga del Norte, July 31 (PNA) -- Government and private stakeholders are upbeat in developing this city's two islands as potential eco-tourism havens.

The city government is gearing up to provide domestic and foreign tourists with places where they could enjoy nature while coming to this city during festivals like the “Kinabayo Festival,” with centerpiece events from July 16 and culminating in July 25 with the annual feast of St. James The Greater, Dapitan City’s patron saint.

The city and Zamboanga del Norte provincial governments, in partnership with the management of Dakak Park and Beach Resort, were focusing the development efforts on Aliguay and Selinog Islands, which are made up of 66 hectares and 72 hectares respectively.

Councilor Apple Marie Agolong, chairperson of the City Council's Committee on Tourism, said that Aliguay and Selinog Islands were island villages located roughly 10 to 14 kilometers, respectively, from Tag-ulo Point.

Agolong said both Aliguay and Selinog are about 25-minute ride away from this city's mainland. Both islands, which are rich in aquatic resources, boast of wide white sand beaches.

Agolong said Aliguay Island, which has three diving sites and has been identified as marine sanctuary, would be the first one to be developed.

Zamboanga del Norte provincial government, through the provincial tourism office headed by Atty. Patrick Ivan Ang, is also involved in developing Aliguay Island into an eco-tourism park.

Aliguay, which is nearer to Dipolog City, the capital of Zamboanga del Norte, than to this city, is also the site of the fishing competition during Hudyaka sa ZaNorte, the week-long provincial anniversary of the province.

The Hudyaka sa ZaNorte is being held from May 28 to June 11 of the year.

Agolong said the construction of Octopus restaurant and cottages in Aliguay Island were being fast-tracked and expected to be completed in the next three months.

At present, tourists could stay in a three-bedroom three storey house in Aliguay Island for three days and two nights for a fee. The house is owned by former provincial tourism council head Atty. Michael Allan Ranillo.

Coconuts, bananas and vegetables abound in the island, which has a population of about 1,500 people.

Agolong said that on the way to Aliguay Island, tourists could also have dolphins and whales watching from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. and from 3 p.m. to sundown daily.

Agolong said they were coming up with new tourists sites since the number of tourists going to this city continued to increase.

Rodiolan Porlas, officer-in-charge of the City Tourism Office, said the tourists, both foreign and domestic, who visited this city last year, have almost doubled compared to the previous year.

Porlas said based on records of his office, 298,945 tourists visited this city last year, compared to 184,100 in 2008.

Tourists mostly visit this city during the Kinabayo Festival.

Kinabayo is an exotic and colorful pageant, re-enacting the Spanish-Moorish wars, particularly the Battle of the Covadonga, wherein the Spanish forces took their last stand against the Saracens.

In that war, the Spanish forces were able to reverse the tide of the war with the miraculous apparition of Saint James, the Apostle.

The addition of local color and innovations has made the annual Kinabayo Festival a popular attraction to tourists of this city.

“Indeed it is a tourist attraction. It is through the Kinabayo Festival that we show out religious opulence,” Agolong said.

After developing Aliguay, Agolong said the city government will focus its development efforts to Selinog Island. (PNA)
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