SAN JUANICO BRIDGE. The San Juanico Bridge that links Leyte and Samar provinces. The Regional Development Council has formed a technical working group to lead the planning and implementation of a tourism development plan for San Juanico Strait. (Photo by Department of Tourism)
TACLOBAN CITY — The Regional Development Council (RDC) has formed a technical working group (TWG) to lead the planning and implementation of a tourism development plan for San Juanico Strait.
The Department of Tourism (DOT) leads the newly-formed group to consolidate development efforts planned for the San Juanico Strait that separates the islands of Leyte and Samar.
“The TWG, chaired by DOT, leads the planning and implementation of a tourism master development plan of the San Juanico Strait. We have been conducting several meetings to address the coordination and implementation gaps,” DOT Regional Director Karina Rosa Tiopes said in a phone interview Monday.
The RDC approved the creation of TWG during its meeting on June 21. It is composed of DOT, Department of Public Works and Highways, Samar provincial government, Leyte provincial government, Tacloban City government, Sta. Rita local government in Samar, Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority, and Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources.
Other members of the TWG include the Philippine National Police, Land Transportation Office, Philippine Information Agency, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Marine Industry Authority, Philippine Coast Guard, congressional offices of Leyte’s 1st district and Samar’s 2nd district, Environmental Management Bureau, Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Philippine Ports Authority, Department of Trade and Industry, Mines and Geosciences Bureau, Philippine Association of State and Universities, and Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines.
The TWG also formed sub-groups for infrastructure development, business development, and investment generation, socio-cultural aspect, legislative measures, safety and security, information and advocacy, and environmental protocols.
The group, according to the tourism official, will help ensure the sustainable development of the San Juanico Strait Development Project conceptualized in three components — San Juanico aesthetic lighting project, Tacloban City proposed tourism facilities for San Juanico, and Sta. Rita tourism development project.
The major one is the PHP80-million lighting project that will start on July 26, and targeted for completion in December. It will use light-emitting diodes, one of today's most energy-efficient and rapidly-developing lighting technologies.
It was proposed that there would be a 10-minute light show for six times nightly that may include water, light, and laser aspects. Every night, there would be six-hour park mode or static mode lights with the subtle movement of lights.
Just like other shows, its colors will be in support of various events throughout the year, the lighting will also be programmed to celebrate special occasions.
Concerned local governments also proposed development activities within the San Juanico Strait in a bid to attract tourists.
“They wanted the TWG to come up with a framework on how this area should be properly developed taking into consideration several aspects such as infrastructure development, environmental protection, and even local legislation,” Tiopes said.
“Once fully developed, we’re looking at a law that will create an administrative body who will govern the development in the area to ensure that things are being done in a proper manner,” she said.
Once called the Marcos Bridge, the San Juanico Bridge was built in August 1969 over the San Juanico Strait, the narrowest navigational strait in the world that separates Samar and Leyte Islands, and was completed in December 1972.
The bridge that spans 2.162 kilometers was built as part of the Pan-Philippine Highway, now called the Maharlika Highway, a network of roads, bridges, and sea routes that connect the islands of Luzon, Samar, Leyte, and Mindanao. (PNA)
