Lawmaker eyes 6th District as eco-tourism zone

Monday, December 13, 2010

REPRESENTATIVE Mercedes Alvarez will push for the declaration of the whole sixth district of the province as an Eco-tourism Zone.

Alvarez said under the plan, the Department of Tourism will prioritize promoting the tourism business and potential of the area.

She said the sixth district has a lot of potentials like the scenic and beautiful diving spots in Sipalay City and its beaches, among others.

“We want to attract more tourists. We can even start with the local tourists and the rest will follow,” Alvarez said.

Alvarez also said she facilitated with the Department of Public Works and Highways and the Department of Finance the release of the P313 million from the General Appropriations Law of 2010, which will be used for various infrastructure projects in her district.

She said the projects will include the asphalt overlay from of Orong to Oringao Road in Kabankalan City; road concreting in different roads in Hinobaan like Sangke, Culipapa and Pook; and road concreting in Barangay Magballo and Barangay Bantayan in Kabankalan City.

Meanwhile, Alvarez also said one of her priority bills in Congress, which is the conversion of Negros State College of Agriculture (Nesca) into a state university, has already passed in the Committee on Higher Education, Ways and Means and the Committee on Appropriations.

“Hopefully the conversion will be made next year,” she added.

Alvarez is also one of the co-authors of a bill amending Republic Act 9048, or the Gunigundo Law, which is an act on the correction of clerical and typographical errors on certificates of live birth.

“We amend the law so for such errors as gender or date of birth, the jurisdiction must be given back to the local Civil Registrar so it would be easier, especially for indigents,” she said.

This is a national bill as this will benefit all Filipinos. (Teresa Ellera-Dulla)

Source: http://www.sunstar.com.ph/bacolod/local-news/lawmaker-eyes-6th-district-eco-tourism-zone