BASEY, Samar- The inclusion of a local tribe living along the Sohoton Cave Natural Bridge National Park as part of this town’s tourist attraction is projected to boost its tourism industry.
The Department of Tourism in the region in coordination with the Samar provincial government, included the Mamanwa tribe in its tourism program.
The Mamanwas live in sitio Wespal, Barangay Guirang which is one of the jump-off points for tourists visiting the Sohoton Cave Natural Bridge National Park, considered the main tourism attraction of Basey.
“We are very happy that the Mamanwa tribe agreed when we asked them if we can include them in our tourism loop,” Tourism Regional Director Karina Rosa Tiopes said.
Jennifer Cabadungga, 34, considered the tribe leader, said that they are happy to finally feel that there are people who are treating them equally.
As a tribe, they always seek for peaceful place and community that are willing to accept them and help them grow said Cabadungga.
The Mamanwas are making souvenir items though they still need more training to improve the quality of their work.
The Mamanwas in Basey are settlers from Mindanao who came to Samar in the late 1950s to avoid armed conflict in their area.
They first stayed in Basey town but later moved to San Jose de Buan, also in Samar, due to armed conflict.
In early 2000, the tribe transfer to Dolores in Eastern Samar to avoid harassment from military that suspects them as supporters of the New People’s Army.
Before 2013, the tribe returned to Basey in their search for peaceful community but their community was destroyed when supertyphoon “Yolanda” hit the area.
The town of Basey had tourism receipts of P1.8 million generated from the more than 3,400 tourists who visited Sohoton Cave last year.
About 4,000 tourists have already visited the Sohoton Cave for the first six months of the year.
(ROEL T. AMAZONA)
