CALBAYOG CITY, Samar — The Calbayog City government has started the construction of tourist assistance center and concrete pathway to two most visited waterfalls here.
At least PHP8.4 million funds have been set aside by the local government to improve Bangon and Tarangban Falls in Tinaplacan village, about 45-minute drive from the city’s commercial district.
Housed in the tourist assistance center are parking spaces, souvenir item stores, dressing rooms with one intended for persons with disabilities, shower rooms, toilets, lavatories, urinals, VIP lounge, waiting area, and a canteen to be managed by locals.
Calbayog Tourism Officer Ronald Ricafort, Jr. said the accessibility of the two falls is the main consideration why the city government prioritized the two sites for development. The project will be completed early next year.
Bangon Falls can be reached through a five-minute ride from the Tinaplacan village entrance while tourist needs a 30-minute trek from Bangon to reach Tarangban Falls, which is the biggest among waterfalls in this city.
For safer access to Tarangban Falls, a 1.5-kilometer concrete pavement pathway is now under construction.
“This will really make Tarangban Falls more accessible knowing that this site is our best seller because of its beautiful landscape,” Ricafort told the Philippine News Agency on Sunday.
Some residents of Tinaplacan village also joined tour guiding training, including basic safety and first-aid response.
“But this is not only for Tinaplacan area. We will also conduct validation and visit places in the city with reported waterfalls that are not yet documented by the city tourism office,” Ricafort said.
Dubbed as the “City of Waterfalls”, Calbayog at present has a total of 22 waterfalls validated by the local tourism office.
The number may increase if information from the thesis of students of Northwest Samar State University will be validated by their office. The study found 35 waterfalls in the city.
Ricafort said it is possible that there are still undiscovered waterfalls in Calbayog, considering that the city is the third largest in the country in terms of land and water area.
At least 60 percent of the city’s total land area is rugged mountain ranges with elevations from 300 to 700 meters.
The city tourism office is expecting a surge of tourist arrival in Calbayog with the operation of a fast craft plying the Calbayog-Cebu route. The Calbayog Airport is also being developed to accommodate bigger aircrafts. (Roel Amazona/PNA)
