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DAVAO CITY—A
developer of dive sites in South Asia is scouting for an
ideal site on Samal Island, which has been included in the
recent edition of promotion materials put out by the
Department of Tourism (DOT) for its global marketing of
deep-sea diving locations.
The
developer is a European billionaire who has put up diving
centers in Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia, and he would
be coming in June to witness the Celebration of the Seas,
a major festivity organized by the DOT.
Sonia
Garcia, regional director here of the DOT, told a business
news forum at the MediSpa Clinic at the SM City that the
European billionaire would likely see Talikud Island, part
of the Samal Island, which was already identified as one
of the best dive sites in southern Philippines.
The
European developer was in
Silliman
University
recently and was invited to visit Davao City and Samal
Island for three days.
“This
European billionaire wanted to invest in a resort on an
island,” Garcia said.
Besides
Talikud Island, the DOT will also tour the developer to
another dive site on Samal, on Ligid Island, and in Pujada
Bay in Davao Oriental.
Garcia
said the DOT has included the Davao Gulf and Samal Island
in the promotion campaign of the International Marketing
Team of the DOT, targeting travelers from Europe, Russia
and Northern China.
“The
Philippines is now part of the global dive map, and we
have placed
Davao on that map,” she said.
Emmanuel
Isip, regional technical director of the Protected Areas
Management Board of the Department of Environment and
Natural Resources, said six sites in the region have been
recommended for possible development into dive sites.
“It
depends now on the DOT to declare them as dive sites. We
just make the assessment,” he said. Garcia said her office
has developed only three so far: in Isla Wall Dive,
Mushroom Rock in Aundana, and Big Ligid, all in Samal.
She said
there may be other areas with potential for becoming a
dive destination “but we coordinate with the local
government units [LGUs].” Garcia explained: “These LGUs
must ensure and assure us that there is really enforcement
of environmental protection and conservation.”
The DOT
may only enter into a joint undertaking with the
localities “if the LGU can show us that it has already
passed an ordinance as its commitment to protect the
environment.”
She
stressed, “We need that assurance,” adding that “resorts
must maintain waste-disposal facilities, including rest
rooms.”
She said
the ordinance would also indicate that the towns and
provinces may not propose or undertake projects that
threaten existing resort facilities. | 
