With rebels gone, Samar town aims to develop tourism sites

Residents and visitors enjoy a dip in Maslog Spring in this Oct 22, 2023, photo. The spring is one of the top tourist attractions in the town of Matuguinao, Samar. — MATUGUINAO MUNICIPAL TOURISM OFFICE/Philippine Daily Inquirer/ANN

THE municipal government of Matuguinao in Samar province is now seeking funding to develop its cold spring and pristine cave as an ecotourism site in a bid to transform the image of the town that used to be a haven of communist rebels into a safe and relaxing place for visitors.

Matuguinao Mayor Aran Boller asked for P45mil (RM3.8mil) in financial support from the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (Tieza), an attached agency of the Department of Tourism tasked to construct tourism-related infrastructures.