TIME-HONORED TRADITION. Hundreds of Catholic faithful attend the last day of Misa de Gallo on Sunday morning (Dec. 24, 2023) at the Archdiocesan Shrine of San Isidro Labrador in Cuenca, Batangas. This year marks the first Simbang Gabi celebration since the parish was declared an Archdiocesan shrine by the Archdiocese of Lipa in May. (Photo by Pot Chavez)
CUENCA, Batangas – The local government here is taking advantage of the extended holidays to perk up public interest in the town’s tourist attractions while beefing up security measures in anticipation of an influx of visitors.
In an interview on Christmas Day, Mayor Alex Magpantay said municipal employees and police personnel have rolled out the red carpet to welcome tourists but have also taken extra efforts to ensure their safety and security.
“Our PNP (Philippine National Police) and other uniformed personnel are ready to welcome back our kababayans and tourists who intend to visit our town,” he said.
Magpantay said the town’s fledgling tourism sector has seen over 30 new resorts built here over the past few years, drawing guests who want to escape Metro Manila’s rush during the holidays.
Tourists who visit the town often book themselves in the municipality’s many resorts and waterparks, he said.
Cuenca also boasts several “overlooking” spots that present a breathtaking view of Taal Lake, as well as Mount Maculot, which in the past has attracted dedicated mountain climbers who dare try to scale its peak.
Since 2020, however, the municipal government has restricted adventurers from attempting to scale the iconic mountain after a number of climbing accidents and pandemic-related issues on top of environmental concerns.
In a separate interview, PSSg Melvin Dela Cruz, Operations Division of Cuenca Municipal Police Station, said they have deployed personnel around churches and major thoroughfares who do patrolling round-the-clock.
The PNP has also deputized force multipliers, which are organizations outside the government performing voluntary public safety services in support of the government, he said.
“Every hour, we have Oplan Sita in Barangay Dita apart from random areas in the town. We have also set up a checkpoint in Barangay Labac and Barangay San Felipe,” Dela Cruz added.
Oplan Sita is the PNP's checkpoint operations in its bid against criminals riding on motorcycles.
He said law enforcers can feel a significant increase in Catholics from out-of-town attending masses here since its parish church was upgraded in stature earlier this year.
It can be recalled that the parish church of St. Isidore Labrador was designated an Archdiocesan Shrine in May by the Archdiocese of Lipa.
Dela Cruz said police visibility has played a crucial role in making locals and visitors feel more secure in attending the devotional nine-day series of masses that ended early Sunday morning.
He said police personnel are now preparing for the revelry associated with welcoming the New Year.
Meanwhile, Magpantay revealed that they had just received a great Christmas gift as the town passed the qualification as a second class municipality following its year-end assessment.
The promotion did not only reflect Cuenca’s growing population but also its growing revenues attributed to the establishment of new businesses here.
The local government has been pushing tourism that revolves around the town’s rebranding as “the home of bakers.”
Cuenca is the hometown of “several hundred” professional bakers and at least as many bakery helpers, causing a workforce saturation that has forced many of them to seek employment in Metro Manila and other provinces.
This year, the municipal government has embarked on a campaign to encourage local community bakeries to evolve into industrial bakeries, enabling them to export products to other areas while eliminating the need for Cuenca bakers to leave home.
The effort to expand livelihood opportunities available to the town’s highly-skilled bakery sector workers is also seen to give Cuenca an economic boost, the mayor added. (With report from Miguel Gil/PNA)
