THOSE who want to visit the 10,000 Roses Cafe in Barangay Day-as in Cordova, Cebu and see the 10,000 LED roses will have to pay a P20-environmental fee after town personnel saw visitors throw trash in the sea.
The establishment is managed by Miguel Cho, stepson of Mayor Mary Therese Sitoy-Cho.
The mayor said the environmental fee was included in the joint venture agreement signed by the Municipality and Cordova-Cebu Golf and Resort Corp., which was approved by the Municipal Council in 2014.
Since the establishment opened last Feb. 6, local tourists have been visiting the area to photograph the artificial flowers.
The property was developed through a public-private partnership, according to Cordova Tourism Officer Guinever Jumao-as-Flores.
The development, which included the reclamation of the area, starts from the town’s tourism center up to the building of the 10,000 Roses Cafe, said Flores.
She said they had to implement the environmental fee after they spotted garbage in the water that surrounds the coffee shop.
“It is not an entrance fee. It’s more of an environmental fee to protect the environment kay ang nahitabo man gud for the past days nahugaw ang dagat kay naay mga nanglabay og basura (because in the past days, trash was seen in the water),” she said.
Visitors must pay the fee at the Municipal Tourism Office at the Municipal Hall before they can proceed to area where the coffee shop is located.
"They (visitors) have to adjust with us because just like going to Singapore, you have to adjust to Singapore policies. That's tourism," the mayor said.
Cho had said over 30,000 visitors to the coffee shop last Sunday. At least 500 LED roses either got bent or cut as result.
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