* Message of Aklan Governor Carlito S. Marquez during the Investment Forum, Aklan Media Summit on October 27, 2006 held at the Governor Corazon L. Cabagnot Memorial Tourism and Training Center, Old Buswang, Kalibo, Aklan.
If you have noticed in the brochures included in press summit kit, you might have gone over that piece that describes Aklan to be beyond just sand, sound and fiber.
Meaning, Aklan is more than just the powdery white sand beaches of Boracay or the frantic sounds of the drums and the frenzy street dancing during the Kalibo Ati-Atihan and the finely woven piña cloth. We have more than that.
Little is yet heard of the Manggad It Kalibo being bannered by the Bakhawan Eco Park, a mangrove reforestation project composed of several hectares of marine life greenery, adjudged as the model and probably the best in Southeast Asia which hauled several awards for the local government unit of Kalibo, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and the partner non-government organization, the USWAG Development Foundation, Inc. At present, marine life has returned to the area.
Little is heard of our Bugna It Tangalan, west of the capital town of Kalibo, where campo verde filled with decades–old trees is. There also is the 7-tiered Jawili waterfalls and also fine beaches which can be best alternative to the beaches of Boracay.
Little is heard also of the town of Libacao which can offer plenty for vacationers and visitors who love adventure and want to commune with nature. There are the headwaters of the mighty Aklan river stretching several kilometers to the north to drain at the Sibuyan Sea in the capital town of Kalibo.
Little is also known of the town of New Washington, the food capital and the rice granary of the province of Aklan. This town is fast becoming the convention center of the province with the famous Sampaguita Gardens Resort located in the said town.
Probably, much had been heard already of Nabas town, just adjacent the municipality of Malay which has the administrative jurisdiction over Boracay Island. This town is not only famous of its mat and hat industry but as a unique tourist destination as well. It’s because of its famous cold springs in Basang and Hurom-Hurom and its yet to be explored caves in Basang and Tulingon.
Investments in billions of pesos had been already poured in this province since Boracay island became known worldwide, mostly to resort establishments and many other tourism-related businesses. This transformed Aklan’s tourism industry into a five billion-peso industry annually in terms of tourism receipts with tourist arrivals hitting the half-a-million figure as of the end of last year. This is expected to be surpassed this year. We project to reach a million marks in tourist arrivals by the year 2010.
Resultantly, multi million peso public sector investments are already in place in this province, still many on-going, and others are in the pipeline.
We are about to install the multi-million Instrument Landing System (ILS) in the Kalibo airport to enable air navigation to land in the province’ premier airport even during nighttime and in times of bad weather and poor visibility. Expansion of the Caticlan airport near Boracay island is already contemplated by the national government owing to the ever increasing air traffic going out and coming in to Aklan because of tourism.
We had just operationalized the Cagban jetty port in the resort island of Boracay to complete the multi-million jetty port and terminal development with the operation of the Caticlan jetty port and terminal. Both ports are averaging some fifteen million pesos in collection of terminal and other fees for the province of Aklan.
Feasibility study preparation is underway for the million national seaport in Navitas, Numancia, Aklan. We believe that the construction of this seaport can generate related investments to compliment infrastructure with the completion of this seaport.
We had made breakthroughs in our rice hybridization program which doubled the average production of our farmers. Now we are known in the Visayas as the hybrid rice seed capital of the Visayas region.
While we are also one of the major suppliers of abaca fibers to the nation, we are now attempting to upgrade our abaca industry by encouraging the putting up of abaca plantations using another variety so that instead of marketing bales of abaca fibers to the open market, we will supply bales of abaca pulp to the country.
Aside from tourism and agriculture, our small and medium enterprises are fast becoming the great source of export income and investments for the province of Aklan. This is bannered by our piña weaving industry which has already penetrated the export market.
In the brochure provided in your kit, you will find the potentials of Aklan awaiting to be tapped which when capital is invested, Aklan can follow the footsteps of North Cotabato of Governor Manny Piñol, although we are already a second class province where the provincial government is having a six hundred million peso annual budget for its operations.
There are still plenty of investment potentials in tourism even if it has already became a major industry of Aklan.
No less than president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo described Aklan as the golden province. We can become golden through our rich natural resources fit for mining operations, large or small scale. While governor Piñol frowns on mining attempts in his province, Aklan might as well welcome it provided we had installed safeguards for our environment. We can still be proud as a province which has the widest forest cover in the region.
Would be investors can still find results in other agricultural endeavors in livestock production and food processing. We fully support the strategic one town one product concept of the Department of Trade and Industry in the province and still more potential for investments in various infrastructure support to tourism and agriculture. In the brochures accompanying your press kit are laid down the investment potentials of the province of Aklan. I hope you find time reading it, and through your profession, help us promote this province as not only a haven for tourists but also as investors’ haven.
Thank you very much. I am ready for interaction. /MP mailto:madyaas_pen@yahoo.com
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