ISABELA -- A team from the Presidential Management Staff (PMS) inspected on Sunday, June 3, the Holy Mountain at Barangay Mansablay, which is being pushed for development to further boost the tourism industry of this southern Negros Occidental locality.
Mayor Joselito Malabor, at the sidelines of the Federalism Caravan here on Saturday, said the inspection conducted by the PMS personnel came after the municipal government submitted to the Office of the President the P350 million worth of site development proposal.
“The site visit is for them to inspect whether such area really exists and that the proposed developments are indeed necessary and feasible,” Malabor added.
Formerly called Glory Hill, the upland destination is being visited by 20,000 to 30,000 pilgrims every Holy Week. Given the huge potential of the area, it is expected to attract more tourists next year.
The P350 million worth of site improvement and infrastructure development for Holy Mountain forms part of the total P2.5 billion proposed five-year tourism development plan of the Municipal Government of Isabela.
Malabor reiterated that such “ambitious” proposal is poised to enable the town to become one of the leading tourism destinations in Negros Island.
“Amid the stiff competition in the tourism industry, you will lose clients if you’re not a leader," he said, adding that "that is why we pushed for ambitious projects for us to compete with other tourism sites here in the province."
With the PMS presence, the mayor said he is optimistic that the development of Holy Mountain will be realized soon.