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SAN JOSE DE BUENAVISTA – The town of Culasi in the northern part of Antique has been in the map lately.
Visitors and guest, both foreign and local, dropped by this lovely municipality comprised of 44 barangays, of which three are island barangays.
These islands topped them all when it came to day visitors as well as overnight travelers.
A total of 57,697 visitors were listed as tourist arrivals as of the third quarter of this year, according to records from the Tourism Office,
What has made Culasi, particularly its three island barangays, stand out among the other towns in Antique?
Culasi is endowed with an 18-kilometer long uninterrupted coastal line. For many people, though, this coastline has the potential for disaster, particularly during those months when typhoons would visit the island of Panay.
In fact, several calamities have already hit Culasi and local officials faced the challenges of saving their constituents; evacuating, rescuing, sustaining their daily food and sadly, these efforts have depleted their funds.
Former municipal mayor Joel A. Lomugdang found the solution for this problem when he proposed the construction of a sea wall that stretches for about one kilometer and made of reinforced concrete. Concrete sheet piles buried to a depth of 2.40 meters below sea level with a height of 2 meters from the natural ground with reinforced concrete column spaced at 3.0 meters on the center may just be the solution against typhoons, the town’s engineers thought. And Lomugdang believed them.
And so the sea wall was constructed and served as protective measures against calamities. Aside from saving lives, the sea wall also became a tourist destination flocked by both foreign and local travelers.
This is because the structure serves as a jump off point from mainland Culasi to the three beautiful island barangays, namely Mararison, Maningning and Batbatan. It also serves as the gateway for the economic activities of the three islands.
Tourists and local people can also use this tourist amenity to view the spectacular Culasi sunset, to jog, bike, walk, relax and other activities. At night, others would dine out here, or simply to unwind and feel the sea breeze and enjoy the scenery while chatting with friends.
The sea wall is completely safe, even at night because CCTVs have been installed to monitor the ins and outs of people, both tourists and locals alike.
Now, the sea wall that protected the residents living near the shores became a bustling and progressive area, where the economy became alive and where tourist arrivals have increased by the thousands. These tourists provide income to local boat owners, market vendors and homestay operators in the three islands.
The local government unit of Culasi was likewise privileged to have received the Bottom Up Budgeting for 2015 and 2016 which amounted P2.58 million and P6 million, respectively. These funds were used for the sea wall’s development and expansion.
Along the way, the legislators and the executive officials of the town also developed measures to protect the sea wall. It has to be environment-friendly and cleanliness should be maintained along the area.
So tourists both from outside the province and those who reside nearby can always wonder: Can geniuses blossom in these islands, in this lovely town with its majestic mountain, as they did in the Isles of Greece?” (PNA)
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