Japanese offers eco-tourism plan

CEBU, Philippines - A Japanese architect who is also a professor of University of San Carlos in Cebu City is interested to develop an eco-tourism plan for Cebu.

Katsuyoku Matsuura was able to present his formal proposal to Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia after joining the Suroy Suroy Sugbo in the Camotes group of islands yesterday.

Before her talk with Matsuura, Garcia already talked to San Fracisco Mayor Ally Arquillano, assessing the present situation of the island.

Garcia told Matsuura that the proposal is so timely as she already told Arquillano to be ready with the right planning, right legislation and the right regulation for the development that will be coming.

“We must have sustainable development, let us not allow development to get out of hand and destroy the very essence and charm of Camotes,” Garcia said, to which Arquillano agreed.

Garcia is set to meet the mayors of the four towns of Camotes Islands to discuss development plans for the years to come.

One of these is the completion of airstrip development before the year ends.

“This will give more accessibility to Camotes and will be more attractive to an even higher level or genre of tourists who value time,” Garcia said.

Garcia said she still has to go through the proposal of Matsuura but she understands it focuses on eco-tourism and sustainable development.

Matsuura stressed that his proposal is merely just conceptual with ideas coming from his students who are also interested on tourism development. He also said that there is no specific area yet stated in the proposal that he presented to the governor.

But after joining the Suroy Suroy yesterday, Matsuura said that Camotes needs to be developed while it is not yet known to many because of the distance from the urban areas like Metro Cebu.

He said that one of the reasons he joined the activity was to relate his eco-tourism plan in the countryside.

“I hope we can have very good coordination and work together,” he said. Matsuura assured of technical support to the Province of Cebu in terms of landscaping, architecture, design and engineering. — (FREEMAN)