MANKAYAN, Benguet – Paragliding enthusiasts will now have a new home in this mining town following the successful pilot test of motorized paragliding by experts who recently arrived in the municipality to continue evaluating and assessing the viability of the said activity.
Mayor Frenzel A. Ayong stated that officers and some members of the Philippine Paragliding Association–Northern Luzon were in the municipality to continue the test run of the motorized paragliding that was successful and being viewed as one of the future tourism-related activities to help revive the local tourism industry that was heavily impacted by the implementation of the various levels of community quarantine to contain the spread of the dreaded Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19).
He said that paragliding enthusiasts could use the municipality as their take off site en route to other neighboring provinces and have a chance to view the scenery in the different places.
Earlier, Aristotle Mendoza and his wife initially visited the municipality to study the viability of non-motorized or motorized paragliding which turned out to be successful that paved the way for the recent visit of paragliding experts to continue evaluating the situation and how to aggressively promote Mankayan as the new paragliding destination in Northern Luzon once community quarantine rules will be relaxed in the future.
However, Mayor Ayong claimed that it is unfortunate that the initial gains of the paragliding activity in the municipality will be temporarily sidelined because of the downgrading of the community quarantine status of the Cordillera from the present modified general community quarantine to general community quarantine but talks will still continue on how to package paragliding in the municipality.
According to him, the municipal government will continue to work on the implementation of appropriate strategies to pave the way for the revival of the livelihoods that were heavily impacted by the implementation of community quarantine guidelines so these will be immediately rolled out once the situation improves in the coming weeks to relieve the doldrums of the last 10 months.
He pointed out people must continue to comply with the expected stringent implementation of general community quarantine regulations because of the declared new community quarantine status of the Cordillera to help in the efforts of the government to contain the spread of the virus while awaiting the roll out of the mass vaccination program in the coming months.
Ayong emphasized that the best way to contain the spread of the virus at the present time is to adhere to the prescribed basic health and safety protocols and for people to stay at home when they have no essential errands to spare them from possibly contracting the illness and spreading the same in their families and communities.
By HENT, photo lifted from Mankayan Tourism facebook page
