Friday, August 08, 2008 Dapitan's 'glory' buzzes with life
DAPITAN CITY, Zamboanga del Norte -- Jose P. Rizal, the country's national hero, and former Zamboanga del Norte congressman Romeo G. Jalosjos, who was convicted of statutory rape, maybe worlds apart but they have at least two things in common.
Both lived in this tranquil coastal locality and while in exile, continue to conceptualize ideas that make a difference in the outside world.
Rizal's four-year interregnum here during the Spanish colonization failed to extinguish the flame of his artistic and literary juices, medical expertise and quest for knowledge.
Thus, a historical landmark, the Rizal Shrine, was bestowed on the national hero and remains well kept hitherto.
On the other hand, Jalosjos, who was sentenced to two life terms (80 years), has been making economic and tourism wonders for this largely Christian-dominated, Visayan-speaking locality by calling the shot behind bars, where he has been for already a decade.
"Even if he is in prison, he has lots of contribution to the city. His latest baby is the Gloria de Dapitan," said Consuelo K. Locop, a business and tourism industry leader here.
She was referring to a three-hectare commercial and fun center at a portion of the city dubbed as the "new Dapitan."
The "old Dapitan" in another portion of the locality teems with houses supposedly dating back to the Spanish period. The local government unit is preserving the vintage district as part of its communal historical attraction. Plans are up to limit the public mode of transportation to kalesas or horse-drawn carriages.
Gloria de Dapitan, which means Glory of Dapitan, is a glowering haven at night and the place to be seen for both locals and tourists alike.
Situated on Sunset Boulevard in Barangay Dawo, it is open from 10 a.m. to 2 a.m. and boasts of bars, restaurants, shopping stores, sports and beauty centers and amusement rides, among others.
Sunset Boulevard -- in itself a tourism attraction -- is a stretch of well-paved road where one can view the setting sun on the concrete sidewalk flexing her dazzling colors.
At the heart of Gloria de Dapitan, amusingly, lies a deluxe cockpit arena. Cockfighting, residents would be proud to say however, is a favorite past time even of people from neighboring areas.
Not too far away from the commercial complex sprouts overnight facilities ranging from the contemporary amenities of a resort hotel to the economically alternative of a home-stay experience offered by small lodging houses.
Changing lifestyles
Three years ago, the streets of this fledging rustic metropolis, dubbed the "Shrine City of the Philippines," is almost a "ghost's place" by 6 p.m., recalled Locop, also the general manager of Gloria de Dapitan.
But it changed when the Jalosjos family, according to her, invested P300 million for the facility's development, apparently to support the other more popular business of the jailed congressman, which is the internationally renowned posh Dakak Beach Resort.
Dakak, hidden by a mountain, is actually a 30-minute drive from Gloria de Dapitan. But travel time is expected to be shorter in the next few months with road expansion works now underway.
Without Gloria de Dapitan, the city's commercial and night fun activities would have been dull, since Dakak has a semblance of exclusivity with its hefty charges, while the other major attraction, the Rizal Shrine, caters to historical curiosity.
Locop said they have high hopes that tourism traffic will increase with continuous expansion efforts at Gloria de Dapitan, which had President Gloria M. Arroyo as key guest when the facility was grandiosely launched on February 8, 2007.
"As long as people are selling their lots adjacent to the commercial complex, the company is willing to buy them," she added.
In anticipation of increased tourist arrivals, to be aided by a planned advertisement plugging in the national media soon, Locop said that a 10-story hotel is on the pipeline to be constructed within the commercial complex.
The hotel is planned to be built after the construction of a movie theatre. There will also be the expansion of amusement rides.
Only about 60 percent of Gloria de Dapitan so far is fully developed, with some of the investments held by local people aside from that of the Jalosjos family, Ms. Locop said.
An estimated 500 people on a weekday are trooping to the commercial complex and the management is targeting to increase to two-fold the number during weekends.
Next month, the city will host a dinner for the Mindanao Business Conference, which will be held in nearby Dipolog City, the commercial hub of Zamboanga del Norte.
Local tourism and investment stakeholders here are thrilled by the upcoming event. They are planning a lavish welcome for the guests as a strategy to promote the locality as a tourism destination and an investment haven.
A gem waiting to be discovered
Apple Marie A. Agolong, City Council chair of the tourism committee, appeared bullish on the potentials of Dapitan to attract more foreign and domestic tourists.
"Our place, the 'Shrine City of the Philippines,' can not be replicated in terms of historical value because this is the place where Dr. Jose Rizal once lived as an exile. The greatest Malayan hero the Philippines has ever produced," she said in urging tourists to visit the town.
"Dapitan is a gem waiting to be discovered," she noted.
Apart from Dakak, Rizal Shrine and Gloria de Dapitan, Agolong cited the locality's Kinabayo Festival, an annual event in honor of their patron saint, Saint James the Apostle.
A day before the festival's highlight, which involves cultural street dancing and parade of costumed horses, thousands of residents gathered at the city's plaza.
With leaves waved wildly in the air, they chanted the name of the patron saint as the figurine leaves the Church and paraded around for several minutes, a hair-raising experience for first-time visitors, including this writer.
A briefer said that Kinabayo is an exotic and colorful pageant re-enacting the Spanish-Moorish wars, particularly the Battle of Covadonga. In that battle the Spanish forces under General Pelagio took their last stand against the Saracens. They were able to reverse the tide of the war with the miraculous apparition of Saint James the Apostle. (BSS/With Press release)
