Rey Anthony Chiu

The town of is trying to hitch to the tourism bandwagon although it opts for low capital, low impact to the environment kind of tourism. Considerably new to the stream, San Isidro packs an array of offers that could hook the serious environmentalist as well as those whose concept of tourism is full respect for cultures and environmental education. Part of its three initial sites for its development includes a two-storey cave, a majestic waterfall and a unique panorama of western Bohol as seen only in a hilltop perch high up in town. Eyed for tourism activities are Cantijong Cave in Cansague Sur, Kilab-kilab Falls in Baunos and Candungaw Peak in Barangay Candungao, San Isidro Mayor Jacinto Naraga bared. “These are interesting sites and getting to these sites also open up countless possibilities of entrepreneurship that our people can get into. Small business but one that can perk up our local economy,” he shared.

“But, first things first”, admitted Mayor Jacinto Naraga during a luncheon meeting with Philippine Information Agency which was invited to help them set up its in-town circuit. “We did not want to get big right away, we have a decent offer of environment adventure and like what Boholanos aspire, we do not want to commit mistakes we can’t do something about later,” Mayor Naraga said. San Isidro, a town which has adopted Saint Isidore the farmer as its patron saint, wants to do away from mass tourism for now while we still grope on what to do best for our sites, one that will sustain it and deals with the minimum impact on the resources we offer, explains newly designated tourism officer Eric Jinne Flor. Not your usual mass tourism site, San Isidro would rather go for the kind of tourists that are aware of what they are into: nature lovers and those who would like to see things the way a true bloodied San Isidro resident would, Flor added.

We just designated two point-persons tasked with setting up of a feasible tourism activity package we can initially test run for May, sources close to Mayor Naraga said. Recently, the town designated Eric Jinne Flor and Julie Tinaja as tourism point persons. Flor is the town local civil registrar, public employment officer and concurrently sitting as tourism officer by virtue of the designation. On the other hand, Tinaja is the Sangguniang Bayan Secretary and sits as the assistant tourism officer, Flor shared. At the back lines and providing the much needed push to keep everyone going is the town council led by Vice Mayor Eudoxio Asoy and Municipal Planning and Development Office. A landlocked second district town, San Isidro remains a fifth class, but has proven it can do more than is expected of a fifth class town. Relishing from its successful hosting of Agbunan Festival, San Isidro residents have awakened their sense of pride and now believes that if there are shortcuts to attaining a new engine for development, it must be an honest to goodness eco-tourism.