TACLOBAN CITY — If you’re in Tacloban and would like to have a quick tour of the historical and religious places of interest in the city and its environs, just hop on the “Icot-Icot” vehicle.

Vicente Labro of the Inquirer Visayas writes about the “Icot-Icot” rides that will provide you a three-hour guided tour of Tacloban and some nearby towns at affordable rates.

Excerpt:

Launched in September 2007, the Icot-Icot tour was first operated on weekends, says Nelieta Baguna, head of the Leyte Tourism and Investment Promotion Canter.

A brainchild of Leyte Gov. Carlos Jericho L. Petilla, the “Icot-Icot” tour was conceived to provide visitors, and even the locals, an opportunity to visit tourist destinations in the city and nearby towns through a group tour.

The term “Icot-icot” came from the Tagalog word “ikot-ikot,” which means going around, and from the governor’s nickname, “Icot.”

Baguna says the local government decided to make the tour available on weekdays due to the growing demand.

The tour fee is P100 for the morning trip and P150 for the afternoon trip because this would include a visit to a bucolic farm resort in Babatngon, Leyte. The fee already includes the ride, tour guide and the entrance fees at the Sto. Niño Shrine and at the farm resort.

The “Icot-Icot” vehicle, actually a multicab that can accommodate around 10 persons, leaves the RTR Plaza in Tacloban City at 9 o’clock for the morning trip and 2 o’clock for the afternoon tour.