ILOILO City – The tail-end of Panay River traversing Roxas City in Capiz will be developed into an eco-tourism attraction.
Regional Director Helen Catalbas of the Department of Tourism Region 6 has approved the proposed P24-million river development project.
Work will commence this month.
Catalbas said the project will be carried out in partnership with the city government of Roxas.
The river development project, divided into two phases, covers 23 kilometers of the 152-kilometer Panay River.
The first phase consists of the construction of eight landing stations or mini ports for motorboats used in the city’s existing river cruise for foreign and domestic tourists.
The second phase will be more on the beautification of the river like placement of lamp posts, mini gardens, esplanade and other related initiatives.
An action plan for the rehabilitation and beautification of the Roxas City portion of the Panay River was crafted last year, in response to concerns that the city lacked a river management plan to regulate and penalize illegal fishing activities in the river, and curb the mushrooming settlements along it.
Many also complained that Roxas City failed to address problems on river siltation and pollution caused by irresponsible waste disposal.
This river development project is separate from the construction of a multi-billion Panay River Basin Flood Control Project to solve the perennial flooding in the provinces of Panay Island.
President Benigno Aquino III committed to support the project during a visit here a few months ago.
“We are pushing for that (construction of the flood control project). We are now looking for foreign funding agencies (to bankroll the project),” Capiz’s Gov. Victor Tanco said.
Tanco said he informed the President that they would need P4.9 billion for the initial phase of the project.
He said the President in turn gave assurance that the funding requirement would be discussed.
Tanco said they are also eyeing South Korea as a possible funding source for the project.
He said the flood control project was supposed to be funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency but the institution backed out after a tsunami hit Tokyo last year.
“It (flood) is ruining our seafood industry. That’s our number one problem because it destroys our agriculture fishery, the flood destroys our infrastructure, it destroys lives and property,” Tanco said.(JEZZA NEPOMOCENO/PN)
