LGU, TOURIST OFFICIALS LAUD MAYON VOLCANO, BUTANDING PICS IN P100 BILL

LGU, TOURIST OFFICIALS LAUD MAYON VOLCANO, BUTANDING PICS IN P100 BILL

By Cet Dematera

LEGAZPI CITY---Tourism and local government officials of Bicol have lauded the inclusion of Mayon Volcano in Albay and Butanding (whaleshark) in Sorsogon in the depicted designs at the back of the latest edition of the Philippine’s P100 bill.
Maria “Nini” Ravanilla, Bicol tourism director, called the step of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) as a “milestone” for the region’s tourism promotion, anticipating influx of more local and foreign visitors into these tourist destinations.

“This will be a very good tool for tourism promotion for Bicol in particular and the country in general,” Ravanilla told The STAR.

She said that with the images of Mayon Volcano and Butanding inscribed at the back of the P100 bill, it would now be easier to promote and wider to disseminate these tourist spots found in Bicol.

Ravanilla said she would invite stakeholders in tourism business and promotions, particularly hotels and resorts owners, for new measures to adopt in view of this latest development.

Albay Gov. Joey Salceda, also re-appointed chairman of the Bicol Regional Development Council (RDC), expressed elation over the BSP move, saying this would give the region a big boost in tourism promotion that could contribute to the economic leap of the peninsula in general.

“We are most grateful to the BSP for featuring Mayon Volcano and the butanding in the more prolific currency- P100. As early as May, BSP authorities have indicated to me about this positive development. Surely, it is a big boost to our tourism promotion effort,” Salceda emailed to The STAR yesterday.

Joe Briones, Albay tourism officer, said that this development will not only put Bicol back to the tourism world map but may also pave the way to the discovery of other equally luring tourist spots here, particularly the while sands of Bacacay town and the diving destinations at the Albay Gulf.

“We are really grateful for this BSP move. We will try to do every effort to promote Albay’s tourism programs,” Briones told The STAR.

Lawyer Rodel Batocabe, one of the Ako-Bicol Party-list representatives, said that Representative Manny Pacquiao has also already signified intention to promote sports and tourism development of Bicol.

Batocabe believes that this intention could be due to the fact that Pacquiao’s represented district of Saranggani and Albay are sister provinces.

“It also could be that Pacquiao’s Filipino trainer Boboy Fernandez is married to a Bicolana as this now reside (Fernandez’s family) in Polangui town in Albay,” Batocabo told The STAR. He did not though mention when Pacquiao would exactly promote Bicol tourism. (cet dematera)
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