GREEN TOURISM FOR MARINDUQUE

(In support of Carrion's Marinduque Green Tourism concept Administrator Lord Allan Velasco has identified prriority projects for community-based tourism development, among them the Sibuyao area in Torrijos. Above photo shows Velasco at Sibuyao falls.)

In a meeting held recently in Sta. Cruz town, with the reactivated and re-organized MARINDUQUE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY, Governor Jose Antonio N. Carrion thanked the organization headed by businessman Elmer Tan, for having taken "a big and bold step to advance the interests of Marinduque business, trade and investments". The organization stressed its resolve to prioritize partnership with government in the meeting, called the 1st Marinduque Business Summit.

Carrion stated that the provincial government continues to create an environment conducive to private business growth, which he said has been his overall economic policy. Among the points he stressed were the efforts undertaken by his administration to address the energy and transportation concerns of the province, citing actions to address power outages that have been experienced and have apparently been resolved. He also cited the re-opening of the Cawit Port and the Marinduque airport to boost local tourism.

In his speech, Governor Carrion stressed the concept of bringing together the elements of ecology, cultural, agri-tourism and even sports or adventure travel as that now being pursued in Marinduque. He said that a coherent output of the Southern Tagalog Tourism Council Assembly held here in July is Green Tourism for Marinduque.

There appeared to be many labels that have been used to refer to this concept but the definition remains the same: low impact, environmentally-friendly tourism that cherishes, not destroys. For Marinduque, Green Tourism offers leisure and learning activities where visitors enjoy nature, culture and inter-change with local people in an agricultural, mountain or fishing village setting. The concept encourages enjoyment, environmental education, engagement in hands-on experiences, immersion into local culture and lifestyle, and conservation.

Carrion said that as a market strategy, Green Tourism which is most ideal for Marinduque's island setting makes eminent sense for the long term. He says it taps into what is a growing demand for holidays and that concern for the environment and global warming grows daily, thus the Green environmentally-aware tourist can only increase in number.

In line with this Carrion is set to issue an Executive Order declaring Green Tourism as the provincial OTOP (One Town One Product)of Marinduque. OTOP is a DTI development strategy to encourage trade and investments in a particular local government unit.

ENCOURAGING DOMESTIC AND FOREIGN CAPITAL

Carrion also said that the entry of domestic and foreign capital to establish enterprises that would utilize local labor and raw materials available in the province are welcome and fully encouraged. Consequently, the promotion and enhancement of strong private sector collaboration would be indispensable.

For his part Carrion devulged the existence of a Provincial Ordinance that established the Marinduque Development and Investment Code. Approved in 2001, by the Office of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan, he said the Ordinance was aimed “to generate investment in the province to stimulate economic activities that would contribute to its full development”. Carrion, however said that the ordinance "apparently slept in the floorboards and was never implemented for whatever reason". His administration now supports its full implementatin, he said.

The said Ordinance provides tax exemptions, fiscal and non-fiscal incentives to enterprises that would engage in preferred areas of development and investment which includes, among others, investment in the development of agricultural resources aimed to improve agricultural technology and productivity, and investment in the development of tourism as major industries of the province, investment in property development, transportation and communication facilities, efficient and affordable power supply generation and distribution; water supply system and sewerage system and investment in export oriented business activities.

Carrion quoted the Resolution approving the said 2001 Ordinance begins which reads thus: "For so many years Marinduque has not gained substantial economic growth and this can be attributed to the lack of proper programming and of a clearly declared vision and a defined mission”. He cited that the government of Marinduque has a clearly declared vision and a defined mission now. "Government and private sector engagement to propel growth in Marinduque will be strengthened as we have paved the way and continue to create the setting conducive to this partnership", he said.