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Bill designating Mt. Arayat as tourist destination gets House panel nod

Philippines | National

Bill designating Mt. Arayat as tourist destination gets House panel nod

By Seth Cabanban

The House Committee on Tourism has approved a House Bill (HB), which seeks to designate Mount Arayat as a tourist destination.

Mt. Arayat (Photo taken from Wikipedia/ Mount Arayat Wikipedia page)

The Committee on Tourism–chaired by Romblon lone district Rep. Eleandro Madrona–approved on Wednesday, Aug. 25, HB 181 or “Declaring Mt. Arayat, Bordering the Municipalities of Arayat and Magalang, Province of Pampanga as a Tourist Destination, Providing for its Development and Appropriating Funds Therefor.”

Deputy Speaker and Pampanga 3rd district Rep. Aurelio Gonzales Jr. authored the measure.

Mount Arayat is a 1,033 meter-tall stratovolcano in Arayat Municipality, Pampanga. It is also known for its role in Kapampangan folklore.

“This mountain is revered by locals as sacred and mystical for it is the legendary home of Apu Sinukuan, the rival of Namalyari of Mt. Pinatubo,” Gonzales wrote in his explanatory note.

Gonzales’s measure directs the Department of Tourism (DOT), the Department of Works and Highways (DPWH), the provincial government of Pampanga, and the municipal governments of Arayat and Magalang to establish a tourism development plan to boost ecotourism in the area without compromising the local flora and fauna.

“ continues to attract tourists who are nature lovers because of the splendor of the mountain, which, among others, possesses a rich bio-diversity as attested by the recent discovery of new plant species pyrostria arayatensis,” the lawmaker said during the Tourism panel hearing on Aug. 24.

“It is also the home of Arayat National Park. Located in San Juan Baño, its cool springs, covered by green foliage of trees, offer a family-friendly resting place excellent for swimming and picnic,” he added.

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