By Roel Amazona (PNA)
CATBALOGAN CITY, Samar — Some 50 residents of Buri Island, who just completed skills training on souvenir making, on Sunday presented to city officials the various products they made from recycled and indigenous materials.
The presenters, comprised of mothers, students, out-of-school youth, and senior citizens from three villages in Buri Island — San Roque, Cabugawan and Estaka — have been attending skills trainings conducted by the city government since October.
Mayor Stephany Uy-Tan said the training is anchored on the plan to develop Buri Island as the city’s main tourism destination based on sustainable tourism and ecological protection program.
“Our desire why we help the residents of Buri Island is to uplift the poor families’ condition. We hope that with the knowledge you learned in the training, people can do something productive even if they are staying in their house,” Uy-Tan said during the product presentation.
As more tourists now visit Buri Island, the city government has to find ways to help residents earn more income from tourism.
The focus of the training was on making souvenir products out of coconut husks, shells, sand, plastic bottles, containers, utensils, cellophanes and others.
Apart from product development, the city government will also train locals on packaging, pricing, quality control and other technical support.
Buri Island, located 10 kilometers away from the city’s commercial district, is endowed with white-sand beaches. It is connected to the mainland by an embankment that serves as bridge in crossing the sea.
Also located on the island are the Catbalogan City Airport, inflatable water park, Cabugawan eco-tourism park, and some resorts popular among locals.
Uy-Tan said tourism development is the focus of her administration and one of the priorities is to make the city one of the best tourist destinations on Samar Island and in the region.
