Investments seen to flood Camotes

By Ehda M. Dagooc (The Freeman) Updated July 30, 2011 12:00 AM

CEBU, Philippines - Investments are expected to pour in the “iconic destination” in Cebu province — Camotes, Island, once the bill rationalizing the management of the national resources will be passed into law.

The island will not only attract multi-million-peso tourism related projects, but it will also lure capitalists who are interested into building support facilities such as waste management, power distribution, water distribution, among others, said Cebu 5th district representative Ramon Durano VI.

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The bill has identified 4,000 hectares of “protected areas” on the island, out of total 20,000 hectare land area of Camotes.

Durano hopes that the bill will soon be passed in order to boost the economic growth of Camotes, and maximize its good tourism potential.

If passed into law, it would have 16,000 hectares of alienable and disposable land on the island, which can be utilized by capitalists for investments.

Unless the bill becomes a law, the investment attractiveness of Camotes would remain “raw” or underdeveloped.

The House Bill 897 passed the first reading at the Committee on Environment and Natural Resources and was set for second and third readings before it would become a law.

“The bill was sponsored by Senator Miguel Zubiri and it aims to amend Proclamation 2152 in December 29, 1981 declaring the whole province of Palawan and Certain parcels of the public domain and/or parts of the country as mangrove swamp forest reserves,” Durano said.

He said the house committee on Environment was waiting for national mapping and resources information authority to identify the coordinates of the “protected areas” covered by the Bill.

Durano hopes that before his term ends in 2013, he would like to see this bill passed into law.

Camotes Island, located northeast of Cebu, was chosen by the Department of Tourism (DoT) in Central Visayas as the “new iconic product” in the region as it boasts of a fresh water lake, white sand beaches, caves, among others.

As an iconic product, Camotes will be among the priority destinations of the Department of Tourism (DOT) and will receive more promotion assistance from the tourism department. The island is made up of four barangays; Pilar, Poro, San Francisco, and Tudela. (FREEMAN)