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Tuesday, March 29, 2005
Aquino elevates Mt. Arayat ecotourism bid to Congress
By Albert B. Lacanlale
ARAYAT -- In support of this town's officials' bid to perk up tourism in the historic Mount Arayat, Third District Representative Rey B. Aquino has urged the House of Representatives to declare the mountain an eco-tourism haven.
During the House Tourism Committee hearing recently, Aquino asked his fellow congressmen's support on his proposal to transform the whole of Mount Arayat from a simple tourist spot to a world-class eco-tourism facility.
Aquino, in his opening statement, stressed that the famed mountain, with a height of 1,026 meters, has become the identity of this town.
In November 1993, the Arayat National Park, located in Barangay San Juan Baño, here, has been declared a tourist spot by the enactment of Republic Act 7690.
However, Aquino said, the mountain has not been included among the most sought-after tourist destinations in the country.
An article in one tourism website even mocked the tourism potential of the mountain saying that it is mosquito-infested.
"Indeed, the time has come for Mt. Arayat's transformation. Now is the opportune time to make it a haven for a rising number of tourists," he said.
Aquino also underscored that should the mountain be launched as eco-tourism spot, ecological and environmental awareness will be promoted.
"It will likewise provide direct financial benefits to the people of Arayat and generate additional revenue to the local and national tourism industry," Aquino said.
Officials of the Department of Tourism and the Philippine Tourism Authority have lauded Aquino's efforts as they explained their offices' plans to energize tourism in the mountain.
(March 29, 2005 issue)
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