TACLOBAN CITY – Two of the identified ‘tourism roads’ in Leyte are to get allocation next year. Engineer Carlos Veloso, chief of Leyte’s Second District Engineering Office, disclosed the road concreting project which leads to a skim boarding site in Brgy. Sabang, Dulag will get P25 million in fund while the road from La Paz to Calabato hot spring in Lapaz town was given fund allocation of P50 million. The road project is a joint initiative of the Department of Tourism and the Department of Public Works and Highways. Veloso said that road infrastructure is vitally important to attract tourists beyond major gateways and the facilitation of self-drive tourism requires an investment in road construction and other improvements.
The Calabato hot spring in lies deep within the quiet town of La Paz which remains untouched and still undeveloped, reason why only few venture to explore the rough terrains going to the spring. A regular trek usually takes some 4-6 hours starting from the town proper which deters tourist from coming. Paving the road is seen to increase tourists and visitors to enjoy Calabato’s natural beauty in all its roughness. While Tanauan town prides itself as the birth place of skim boarding in the Philippines, skim boarding enthusiasts has also explored waves in the nearby town of Dulag. A good skim boarding site has been discovered in Brgy. Sabang. However, road leading to the area needs the development. Meanwhile, continuation of concreting the Burauen-Mahagnao Road in Burauen, Leyte will get P40 million in funds in 2015. The road leads to the Mahagnao Volcano and National Park, an established national park since 1937. The volcano is dormant and has a huge crater that turned into a lake. Barangay Mahagnao also hosts multiple hot spring, a sulfur mountain, and waterfalls.
The destination is about 16 kilometers away from the existing Burauen-Lapaz Road. Six kilometers have already been paved while eight kilometers gravel road remains. Also identified as tourism road project within the 2nd LED is the P48 million concreting of road from Barangay Paglaum to Sitio Canbahian Falls in Carigara. No funding yet for this project in 2015. (AHLETTE C. REYES)
