TUBA, Benguet – Mayor Ignacio Rivera underscored the town’s proximity to the chartered City of Baguio and the existence of successful farmers coupled with the natural beauty and landscape of the locality as primordial drivers for a robust economic growth to improve the lives of residents in the thirteen barangays.
Speaking before residents during the town’s 105th founding anniversary, the Mayor added the town has benefitted from the infrastructure development from he national government for the upgrading and rehabilitation of national roads, thus, a good number of farmers were able to significantly improve their production and access to markets both in the lowlands and other towns in Benguet.
“We have to conduct an inventory of our successful farmers so that their gardens could be used as potential agri-tourism destinations in the town apart from the availability of scenic destinations such as hot springs, waterfalls, caves among others,” Mayor Rivera stressed.
Rivera pointed out concerned offices of the local government will be tasked to prepare the appropriate plans as a blueprint in charting the promotion of the potential agri-tourism sites to maximise the potentials of the municipality becoming an additional tourist destination aside from Baguio and the capital town of La Trinidad.
He expressed gratitude to the people and officialdom of the municipality for their support to his administration’s programs and projects, saying he will keep a transparent and accountable governance and will adopt a proactive, people-oriented and participatory policy to allow all stakeholders to raise their sentiments regarding the government’s actions on pressing issues and concerns in the locality.
Rivera asserted there is a need for concerned offices in the locality to be aggressive in promoting the available agri-tourism destinations to the public wanting a break outside the heavily populated destinations of Baguio and La Trinidad.
Rivera admitted Tuba will be one of the primary beneficiaries of the overflow of development and tourism in the city because of the numerous scenic spots like the various hot spring resorts, historical caves, waterfalls and numerous organic farms producing quality organic vegetables and fruits.
He claimed the local government will be using portions of its meagre resources to develop the road network leading to potential tourist destinations although it will not be sufficient to completely improve such linking roads immediately.
He rallied residents and other stakeholders to cooperate with the national and local governments in improving infrastructure in their respective places to reap the fruits of development.
By HENT