A P22.7 MILLION eco-tourism park is set to be built this year in the eight-hectare land area in Sitio Civoleg, Barangay Lunotan, Gingoog City.
The Gingoog City Government, as recipient of the Seal of Good Local Governance from the Department of Interior and Local Government, has qualified to the project “Green, Green, Green Cities” of the Department of Budget and Management (DBM).
“We are pleased to know that DBM has technically approved our proposal, has encouraged us to value ecologically-friendly park, and has budgeted P22.7 million for this legacy,” Gingoog City Mayor Marie de Lara Guingona said.
According to DBM, the Green, Green, Green Cities project aims to preserve and conserve ecological balance, strengthen local resiliency in times of disaster and catastrophe, promote health and wellness, and boost eco-tourism potentials of the city.
Guingona has directed the City Planning and Development Office (CPDO) to coordinate with the Office of City Engineer, Barangay Council of Lunotan, National Council for the Indigenous Peoples, the Department of Agrarian Reform, and other concerned agencies to fast track the development of the project.
According to Elsa Maquiling, the CPDO head, the P22.7-million eco-tourism park will have a 1.2-hectare bike line for health purpose, a number of picnic grooves and cottages for family bonding, Lumad plaza for cultural display and tribal showcase, forest park for the communion with nature, retention bond for garden water and landslide control, amphitheater for socio-cultural presentation, pathways for walking, and other amenities.
“This eight-hectare park will be built in the 76.4 hectares owned by the City Government in which this administration has also allotted two hectares for housing project that will serve as relocation site for the affected informal settlers,” Guingona said.
“Definitely this eco-tourism park is a haven for both local and foreign tourists who love nature, and a business opportunity to small, micro, medium entrepreneurs in this city,” she added.