TUBA, Benguet – The municipal government ordered the closure of the famous Colorado Waterfalls in Camp 6 to visitors to prevent the occurrence of future incidents that will result to the loss of innocent lives and compromise public safety.
Mayor Ignacio Rivera explained the local government did not consider Colorado Waterfalls as one of the tourist destinations promoted as a must-see place in the locality because of a series of incidents in the past resulted to the loss of innocent lives among those who swam at the scenic site of the waterfalls.
“We decided not to aggressively promote Colorado Waterfalls as one of the tourist attractions in the municipality because of the unsafe condition of the area and the series of previous incidents that resulted to the untimely death of innocent individuals who simply went to the area to unwind,” Rivera stressed.
The local chief executive explained that the depth of the swimming area is more than 10 feet, which is unusual, and the current of the water is too strong that it often results to drowning for those who try to swim. It is why people are discouraged to go swimming in the area.
The latest incident at the waterfalls resulted to the untimely death of an engineering student from Mindoro who was studying at Adamson University. According to Rivera, it is just one of the numerous incidents that transpired in the area and resulted to bad publicity for the municipality, and people should be reminded of the dangers of visiting the place and for them not to try their luck and swim.
He pointed out there were sufficient warning signs posted in the vicinity of the waterfalls warning the public of the extreme danger it poses, but it seems the visiting students allegedly disregard the signage and the reminders given by concerned barangay officials for them not to go swimming in the place.
He added the local government will continue to intensify the needed information and education campaign to remind residents and visitors alike not to try to go swimming at Colorado Waterfalls because they could not guarantee their safety.
While Colorado Waterfalls is a potential tourist spot that could entice more visitors to visit the locality, Rivera emphasized that local officials cannot afford to compromise the safety of the public. Even if it will be a potential economic driver for the municipality it is still best for the local government to promote other safer tourist destinations instead of being the subject of bad publicity due to untoward incidents that happen in the waterfalls.
He claimed there are other scenic tourist destinations in the municipality that are safe for to visit. The local government is working on how to aggressively promote the said tourist spots to entice visitors to consider visiting the municipality when spending a well-deserved break in the city because of the proximity of the said places.
Tuba is part of the Baguio-La Trinidad-Itogon-Sablan-Tuba-Tublay (BLISTT) growth area because of the proximity of the Benguet towns to Baguio City.
By HENT
