Arroyo declares Nasugbu a special tourism zone

By Marlon Alexander Luistro Southern Luzon Bureau BATANGAS CITY--President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has declared Nasugbu, a first class municipality in Batangas known for its white sand beach resorts, a special tourism zone. Executive Order 647 signed on August 3 likewise called for the formation of a private sector-led "Nasugbu eminent persons group" to oversee the development of the Nasugbu Special Tourism Zone. The NSTZ will cover the areas included in the Nasugbu Tourism Development Plan prepared by the municipal government and validated by the Philippine Tourism Authority (PTA). The order gave the PTA administrative and control functions over the zone, in coordination with the eminent persons group and the municipal government. "Consistent with the avowed policy of the state to promote tourism in the country, the sustainable development of Nasugbu, Batangas as a priority tourism destination is hereby declared," Arroyo said in her order. Nasugbu, a 27,750-hectare coastal town, located 102 kilometers southwest of Manila, is a favorite leisure and vacation getaway, especially during summer. It is subdivided into 42 villages, with a population of 98,558 based on the 2000 census. The town's white sand beaches and tropical forests have attracted a group of real estate developers like the SM Investments Corp. (SIC), which plans to construct a 5,900-hectare resort, the Hamilo Coast, located at the NSTZ. Within the property is Mt. Pico de Loro, a national park and a favorite hiking and mountaineering site. SIC also intends to deliver a ferry service departing from the Manila Bay terminal of the SM Central Business Park in the Mall of Asia to Hamilo Coast, due to be operational by 2008. President Arroyo's order ensured that the government would plan, undertake, and cause the implementation of support projects and programs to preserve the attractiveness of Nasugbu, Batangas as a major tourism destination. The President said the functions of the five-man eminent persons group would include recommending to the PTA the rules necessary to ensure compliance with the requirement of Nasugbu tourism's sustainable development. She also tasked the group to ensure the preservation of the town's natural and cultural heritage and to get the locals to take part in the development effort.