BAUKO, Mountain Province – Foreign and domestic air sports enthusiasts have all the reasons to visit this upland town after a group of para-gliders was able to discover that para-gliding is suitable in some highly elevated areas that have other ecotourism attractions for local residents and visitors.
Mayor Abraham B. Akilit a group of local and foreign para-gliders have been frequenting the municipality over the past several months in order to test the suitability of the air sport which has proven to be one of the town’s major attractions that could be launched during its annual ‘Begnas festival’ by the first week of March.
Paragliding, speedflying, power kiting and Para motoring. Considered to be a new breed of sports, we provide information, training, retail, air show exhibition and club development in the sport of flying. a sport in which a wide canopy resembling a parachute is attached to a person’s body by a harness in order to allow them to glide through the air after jumping from or being lifted to a height.
“The discovery of the feasibility of para-gliding in our town will greatly help in promoting Bauko as one of the premier ecotourism destination in the north. It will surely be a major economic driver for our locality,” Akilist stressed.
He pointed out with para-gliding available in highly elevated portions of the municipality, Bauko will now serve as an alternative tourist destination, especially for nature-lovers, considering that paragliders can have a top view of the scenic beauty of the hidden beauty of nature of the town.
According to him, a number of foreign and local para-gliders have already been inquiring on the state of the sport in the locality, thus, tourist guides will have to be trained on how to assist para-gliders once they flock to the town and have a first-hand experience of the air adventure sport being promoted as one of the ecotourism packages for the province.
He cited the completion of the Abatan-Bagnen-Sagada road, which is a convergence project of the tourism and public works departments, will definitely contribute in enticing foreign and domestic nature-lovers to consider Bauko as one of their preferred destination in order to experience the air adventure sport.
Furthermore, the completion of the Aluling bridge in Cervantes, Ilocos Sur, which links Ilocos Sur and Mountain Province will also help in encouraging visitors from the lowlands to try para-gliding because of the significantly reduced travel time from the previous four hours to only two hours.
Mayor Akilit claimed the discovery of more ecotourism activities in the municipality will contribute in generating jobs for qualified residents, increase economic activities for local residents and add up to the sources of livelihood for the people as there will be a surge in buyers of locally produced products of different barangay-based organizations.
Bauko is considered to be the highest municipality in the country at the top of the Mount Data National Park having a population of at least 34,000 inhabitants distributed in 22 barangays covering a land area of nearly 18,000 hectares.
Akilit is optimistic on the significant growth of the local economy following the discovery of more nature projects. By Dexter A. See
