BAUKO, Mt. Province -- Governor Leonard Mayaen of Mt. Province recently expressed wanting a faster investigation over the Florida Bus mishap stressing the province is now experiencing a decline in domestic and foreign tourist arrivals through bus routes direct from Manila.
With the main annual tourist attracting event slated April 7, Mayaen is hoping the LTFRB investigation will soon come to a conclusion.
"Direct transportation of buses from manila to Mt. Province is very crucial in terms of tourist arrivals in the province," he stressed.
The people in Mt. Province are clamoring for the resumption of bus transportation plying direct from Metro Manila to the province, Mayaen said. Locals who travel to Manila are also feeling the brunt of cutting trips.
The governor also belied earlier reports the province's Lang-ay festival will exclude street dancing and other usual performances due to financial constraints.
"All of the usual activities seen and enjoyed from the previous Lang-ay festival will still continue for this year, it’s just that I have been thinking to pattern the event in a separate scheduled event from our own foundation day, because both events fall on the same day," Mayaen stressed.
"We already met with the business sector on how to stage the next Lang-ay. I laid out the idea that having separate date schedules of the Lang-ay and the Mt. Province foundation day may have better impact to the economic gains of the business sector without one overshadowing the other special event," he added.
"We will just streamline the street dancing performances such as clustering the municipalities that have at least the same cultural traditions and norms," Mayaen said.
“On the eastern side, Barlig, Natonin and Paracelis have almost have similarities in cultures and traditions, while Bontoc and Sadanga have the same and Sagada, Besao and Tadian are also clustered as having the same norms in their own cultures and traditions,” Mayaen said.
By clustering these groups, Mayaen hopes the street performances are enhanced while the eliminating the financial burden.
Mayaen also disclosed he opened the idea to the business sector on being part of the annual festival by giving them full authority to handle the festival while the provincial government will provide the necessary funds, to which the business sector is looking forward to agreed. (Larry Fabian)