Town seeks Capitol help on extortion in Leyte islet

CEBU - The local government of Daanbantayan has sought the assistance of Capitol on complaints of alleged extortion in Calanggaman islet, a dive site off Malapascua Island, which is part of Palompon, Leyte.

Tourists and dive shop operators, dive masters, and tour guides in Malapascua Island have complained that armed men collect at least P300 from each tourist boat that docks in Calanggaman.

No official receipt is being issued but these armed men in civilian clothes allegedly often demand an outright payment and threaten the visitors with guns.

They said the extortion activities are affecting the booming tourism industry in the area and are hoping that Garcia might be able to help being the chairperson of the Regional Peace and Order Council in Central Visayas.

“Na diin-diin nalang ko sa Pilipinas kuyog og mga guests, diha pa ko kita og tulis sa adlaw’ng daku. Makaderetso pa lang ko ni Durano (Tourism Sec. Ace Durano), ako himoon para mahunong na,” tour guide Danny Milagroso told The FREEMAN.

Foreign tourists are starting to wonder why the islet has not been developed despite the exorbitant fee they are being charged with.

Board Member Agnes Magpale, chairman of the Provincial Board committee on tourism, said will coordinate with Leyte officials and officials of the Department of Tourism so that the complaints can be acted upon.

These extortion activities allegedly started since tourism in Malapascua Island started to flourish.

Dive masters at the dive shops in Malapascua first aired their complaints, which were subsequently confirmed by dive shop operators and tour guides.

Malapascua Island is currently ranked as the fifth most famous dive site in the world.

The Calanggaman islet, meanwhile, has since been featured in tourism guidebooks, which gave it popularity especially among foreign visitors.

The islet has an estimated area of 30,000 square meters- its surrounding waters have an average depth of 18 meters and a maximum depth of 30 meters. The islet is not inhabited but is a favorite rest spot for fishermen and divers.

“Sometimes we will stop on the island for a beach barbeque during our surface interval. Palm trees and a pile of white sand surrounded by crystal clear water and steep walls dropping off into the blue…. you can also see many critters including nudibranchs, crabs and shrimp. As you come back along the top of the wall, look for fields of nudibranchs and garden eels. Dolphins are often seen on the way back,” one foreign diver said in his blog. — Gregg M. Rubio/JMO (THE FREEMAN)