Improved Sta. Ana Wharf to entice tourists

WITH the beautification of tSta. Wharf, more tourists are expected to be enticed in visiting the Davao city as a gateway to different tourist destinations in the region, a government official said.

“Yung pinakatumong naman jaan ay mapakaganda ang Sta. Wharf at may added na place na mapuntahan ang mga tao, lalo na ang lugar ang jump-off point ng ating island hopping dapat maganda ang itsura (The very goal is to beautify Sta. Wharf so that people can have an added place to go to, especially that the place is a jump-off point for island hopping),” Davao City Tourism Operations Office (CTOO) head Generose Tecson said in an interview on Tuesday, September 18, at City Tourism Operations Office.

Tecson underscored the importance of cleanliness in ports like Sta. Wharf as this leaves an impression to tourists may it be foreign or local.

However, she said there are still some improvements that have yet to be done.

“As you can see hindi pa marami ang improvements muna kase nga inaantay pa natin ang pagturn over ng wharf sa city from Philippine Ports Authority(PPA) (If you go there there are improvements but not that many because we are still waiting for the wharf to be turned over to the city from PPA),” Tecson said.

She added the request for the turnover of the wharf was already drafted by the city mayor’s office, but PPA has not sent any reply.

“Even if gusto ni mayor (Sara Duterte-Carpio) na ayusin na yan para hindi binabaha, we cannot because the place is not ours yet (Even if the mayor wants to fix the wharf from flooding, we cannot because the place is not ours yet),” Tecson said.

Presently, there are three that were erected at the Sta. Wharf. Tecson said if the development continues these tents will turn into a waiting area for tourists and visitors.