The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Provincial Government of Palawan facilitated recently the formulation of the investment plan and feasibility study to further boost tourism in Coron and El Nido towns.
Governor Jose Ch. Alvez, Vice Governor Victorino Dennis Socrates, Atty. Edwin Enrile (chief of staff of the Department of Tourism), together with key officials of the provincial government and representatives of the local government unit (LGU) of Coron, San Vicente, and El Nido participated in the activity.
Also present were Engr. Saylito Purisima of the Provincial Engineering Office and Engr. Ann Michelle Cardinas of IHELP-Infrastructure Water Program.
The activity presented some proposed projects for ADB funding known as “Transforming El Nido and Coron into resilient, inclusive and sustainable tourism communities.”
It also discussed the improvement of hospitals, construction of public infrastructures such as water supply, drainage, and sewerage system, sanitary landfill, installation of solar rooftops, and other disaster risk reduction and management-related projects in the identified tourism destination-LGUs.
“Tinalakay sa nasabing pagpupulong ang pagpapatayo ng mga pampublikong imprastraktura tulad ng mga karagdagang water supply, improvement ng mga ospital gayundin ang drainage at sewerage system, development ng bagong landfill, paglalagay ng mga solar rooftops at ilan pang mga proyektong may kaugnayan sa disaster management & preparedness,” the Provincial Government said in a statement.
The plans and studies are intended to further increase the economic activities within the tourism destination towns of El Nido and Coron.
“Magbibigay ang ADB ng tulong-teknikal at ang paghahanda ng mga estratehiyang magagamit at detalyadong investment framework plans gayundin ang feasibility studies upang lalo pang mapaunlad at mapatatag ang turismo sa mga bayan ng El Nido at Coron. Ang nasabing estratehiya ay iikot sa sustainable tourism at urban services, natural resources, at enterprise development,” the statement further said.
The first part of the investment plan and feasibility study will be finalized this February 2020, during a meeting by the working group composed of the municipalities of Coron and El Nido.