ILOILO City – The Iloilo City Tourism and Development Office (CTDO) will forward the Iloilo River Esplanade as educational ecotourism hub.
A development project is being proposed: “Iloilo City Eco-Trail: A Showcase of Rich Biodiversity and Environmental Protection,” in partnership with the University of the Philippines Visayas (UPV).
Under the project, an Eco-Trail App, or a geographic information system (GIS)-based app, will be developed with tagged locations of mangroves species.
Iloilo River is home to rich mangroves and coastal and marine resources.
The app will facilitate learning about mangroves with translation function for select foreign visitors like Korean, Chinese and Spanish.
Modules and workbooks as training guide will also be developed for students.
Information boards will also be put up at the entrances – one telling about the Iloilo River and the Esplanade, the other will be the location map of the park and the biodiversity map.
These billboard and signage will be developed together with mangrove scientist, Dr. Rex Sadaba, UPV, Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the Iloilo-Batiano River Development Council (IBRDC).
CTDO under Tourism Officer Junel Divinagracia sent a project proposal to the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) for the project’s possible funding.
Atty. Lily Freida Milla, CHED’s officer-in-charge deputy executive director for International Affair Staff (IAS), said the project may be funded under the agency’s IAS’s Study in the Philippines Program (Education and Tourism).
The program aims to position the Philippines as a higher education and study destination hub while “supporting the revitalization and intensifying the convergence” with the tourism sector.
However, Milla said they only provide grants to higher education institutions (HEIs) as the main project proponent, which could be UPV.
Milla advised Divinagracia to coordinate with the partner HEI and submit a follow-up proposal.
The project, according to Milla, will be included in the list of proposals to be considered for funding in 2022, subject for further review and recommendation.
Milla said the project has a “great promise” of transforming the Iloilo River Esplanade into an educational eco-tourism hub.
It would highlight the city’s achievement in embedding environmental protection in its overall master plan community, she said.
Meanwhile, Mayor Treñas fully supports the project, saying it will educate people more about the Esplanade and everything therein.
The project is also a great opportunity to promote this southern city./PN
