BACOLOD CITY – The Victorias City government has secured a total of P13 million in cash grant to develop a birdwatching site dubbed “A Birder’s Paradise” at the Gawahon Ecopark in the city.
VICTORIAS City, Negros Occidental Mayor Javier Miguel Benitez (second from right), with City Tourism Development and Promotions Officer Marian Rica Calseña (right), receives an award and P8 million cash grant from President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., with Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco (third from left), Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, and Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA) General Manager Mark Lapid (left), for the development of a birdwatching site in the city. (Photo courtesy of Mayor Javi Benitez Facebook)
The local government unit (LGU) in the northern part of the province of Negros Occidental ranked fourth in the Tourism Champions Challenge (TCC) of the Department of Tourism (DOT).
Mayor Javier Miguel Benitez was accompanied by City Tourism Development and Promotions Officer Marian Rica Calseña in receiving the award at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) in Pasay City on Monday, April 15.
They were accompanied by Vice Mayor Abelardo Bantug III and City Administrator Lindolf de Castro.
Victorias City was among the top 15 finalists of TCC in the Philippines and the only LGU qualified in the entire province.
The city received P8 million from the DOT and P5 million committed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to the winning LGUs.
In a Facebook post, Benitez thanked the President, the DOT, and the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA).
“Let's keep promoting biodiversity, conservation, and sustainability of our Gawahon Ecopark, and strive to make it a premier tourism destination,” Benitez said.