Summer in Sagay

            Warm hospitality and kindness of the people, beautiful sceneries and nice beaches, able to see love ones and relatives, good climate, good food, liquor and fruits are some of the reasons why people come to the Philippines.This just shows why the Province of  Negros Occidental including Bacolod City  recently  registered an increase of tourist arrivals from 2017’s 1,724,133 to 2018’s 1,756,026 visitors by accommodation. In fact, day tourist data also increased to 2,150,847 in 2018  from 1,724,133 in 2017 with 7% foreign tourist and 93% domestic tourist, perhaps because of the strong republic highway with the roll on roll off which allows more families move around through inter island vessels .

            The merry month of March is already here, a sign of summertime in the air, the sun has been smiling since day 1 and one can feel the heat as if Mr. Sun is bowing down at us. Be sure to stay hydrated all the time. It was indeed very hot the past few days, as I was on a mission to inspect beaches with foreshore lease applications. This can be a challenging job, and we always bear in mind the pros and cons of development and taking into consideration climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction management for  sustainable tourism development  in our localities.

            The ride to the north was smooth even with some road repairs along the way, traffic was managed well. When travelling I always look for fruits in season, this time some farmers along Sagay’s main highway were selling star apple. It was a Tuesday and a market day in Old Sagay, we were lucky to be able to buy shells like the local sikad sikad,  clams and sea weeds like the guso and lato which is abundant in this side of Negros.

            There is a local community in the area which is known as Purok Bougainvilla , most of the houses are made of wood or bamboo have been painted by the local volunteers  through a project known as ’Pinta Balay’. They have done this for three times , with paints donated by the community, where houses have been artistically painted with bright colors and has added to the positive way of life of the people, bringing oneness among the community. Today, many locals visit the place , where you can visit YOY, Lover J, C Chen, Kape Al Barako, Daluyaya Beach, Flores Bed and Breakfast, Emnace Beach, Zander Beach,  Grill House Beach Resort and Margaha Beach with black sand in the area known to be skin purifying, detoxifying, anti stress which increases skin defense.

            The residents are friendly and very accommodating, they value the love for environment and are getting ready for the Sinigayan Festival with and artist village, a tali-ambong, festival dance and other activities in celebration of the town fiesta and if you get lucky they have upcycled accessories for women with the use of non biodegradable trash designed to become a wearable art. Kudos indeed to Syano Artlink and the City Tourism Team! So next time you plan for summer , consider Sagay where love for nature begins.