ILOILO CITY – The Department of Tourism (DOT) is promoting southern Iloilo after it launched the Philippine Experience Program (PEP) for Western Visayas in the province on Thursday, November 30.
DOT Secretary Christina Garcia-Frasco led visitors on Thursday as PEP went to Iloilo after the November 29 regional kick off in Negros Occidental.
THE Philippine Experience Program led by the Department of Tourism visits the Miag-ao Church in Miag-ao, Iloilo on Thursday, November 30. (Tara Yap)
DOT-6 Regional Director Crisanta Marlene Rodriguez said PEP aims to highlight lesser-known destinations in Iloilo as it is anchored on culture, heritage, and arts.
The DOT in partnership with the Iloilo Provincial Tourism Office led by Gilbert Marin took visitors to a day tour of southern Iloilo.
Included in the stop was the municipality of Miag-ao, which has the distinction of having the only United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization World Heritage site in the Visayas and Mindanao – the Miag-ao Church, one of the Baroque churches built during Spanish colonial period.
Visitors also went to the town of San Joaquin, where its Roman Catholic Church was declared as a National Cultural Treasure by the National Museum of the Philippines.
Also visited in San Joaquin was the Garin eco-farm and pilgrimage site.
Their last stop was the town of Tigbauan where American forces landed to liberate Panay Island from Japanese forces during World War II.
Tigbauan is also where the headquarters of the aquaculture department of the inter-governmental Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center (SEAFDEC) is located.
Visitors also toured here, the regional capital of Western Visayas. This city has the Dinagyang Festival and various heritage sites and recently became the country’s only UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy.