Pageant promotes regional ecotourism

MANILA, Philippines - What was once touted as Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte’s best-kept secret is now one of the northern province’s best-selling attractions. The STAR recently joined a media trip to the coastal town of Pagudpud and discovered the Blue Lagoon, a breathtaking beach cove tucked away in Brgy. Balaoi in Maira-Ira Point (northernmost tip of mainland Luzon) — once isolated but now easily accessible, thanks to a well-paved road. Wonder where it got its name? It’s been called by locals as such because it was reportedly shortlisted as a potential location set for the hit ‘80s US film of the same name that starred Brooke Shields. 

Overlooking the beach — with its name emblazoned in full view of arriving visitors similar to the famous Hollywood sign — is Hannah’s Beach Resort & Convention Center, where we were billeted.

At the time of our visit, the crowd could rival that of peak-season Boracay with busloads of tourists coming in almost every hour. With the increasing tourist traffic and development come valid concerns over the preservation of Blue Lagoon’s natural beauty.

According to Hannah’s owner, retired Philippine Air Force Col. Ricardo Nolasco Jr., they have committed to actively work with the LGU in promoting responsible travel practices and advocating sustainable ecotourism.

He noted that apart from being accredited by Department of Tourism as an eco-tourism spot, Hannah’s Beach Resort won DENR Region I’s Most Outstanding Individual Initiative on Environmental Management Award for “bringing back the old glory of the environment of Brgy. Balaoi…through various interventions for the environmental protection and flourishing ecotourism industry” and providing livelihood for the community and income for the barangay and municipality.

“It’s a commitment we made since we started developing the property,” said Nolasco of Hannah’s which currently employs more than 200 locals.

He also said that “the award came as a challenge to step up and take a more meaningful role in addressing ecotourism concerns.”

When the Manila-born Nolasco first visited the area many years ago through the invitation of a colleague, he was immediately captivated. “I’ve never seen a place as clean and pristine.” At the time, it was nowhere near from the crowd-drawer that it is today. He was able to buy a 1,500-sq. meter lot at P200,000 only wherein he initially planned to build a no-frills retirement house for future family reunions. He returned to check on his property 10 years later and was surprised to find throngs of people already enjoying the place. There was a problem though, as the caretaker of his lot would tell him: There were no proper facilities, even as basic as toilets. So, Nolasco saw a business opportunity.

Eventually, Nolasco acquired neighboring lots, and slowly but steadily since 2007, he has been developing and expanding the beachfront property. His dreams of making it family-oriented are still very much in place. Named after his only daughter, the now eight-hectare resort offers varied accommodations (from villas to dormitories), amenities (from F&B outlets to pools, one of which is solar-heated and shaped like a giant clay pot) and activities (from all-terrain vehicles to the 1.2-km. zipline) ideal for families or big groups. Sprawling but not intimidating (in fact, homey), the resort has portions that are spruced up like a theme park with an “interactive playground” featuring life-size characters from Transformers, Avatar, Star Wars, etc. There’s also a 400-seater convention center. Diving facilities are in the pipeline. The resort has had played host to major events such as one for the Miss Earth international pageant last year. Nolasco said, “Actually, it was only last year that it really started to click. Then, this year it was phenomenal in terms of revenue and income. All our hard work, it really paid off this year. And I’m proud to be part in the development of tourism in the country.”

Hannah’s also churns out homegrown events that are aligned with its advocacies. The main highlight of our visit was the second edition of its search for ecotourism ambassadors. Sarah Christine Bona of Iriga, Bicol and John Paul Lopez of Cainta, Rizal were declared winners by the judging panel that included Miss Earth 2008 Karla Henry, former Bb. Pilipinas-International Alma Concepcion and former deputy director general of PNP, Gen. Manuel Roxas. Both Sarah and John Paul will be on the frontlines of the resort’s regional ecotourism-related campaigns. Sarah is a registered nurse who also plans on giving Bb. Pilipinas a shot next year, while John Paul is a tourism management fresh grad who is open to joining showbiz, but “my ultimate goal is to serve in the tourism industry.”

(For details on how to get there, visit www.hannahsbeachresort.com.)