HIKING HAVEN GOAL. One of the mountains in Culaba, Biliran. Biliran’s provincial government is positioning the province as a mountaineering haven in Eastern Visayas with the launch of “Climb Biliran.” (Photo courtesy of Biliran provincial government)
TACLOBAN CITY – Biliran’s provincial government is positioning the province as a mountaineering haven in Eastern Visayas with the launch of “Climb Biliran.”
The local government, with the assistance of the Department of Tourism (DOT), has been preparing the province in the past two years to promote the place as a mountaineering destination, Biliran provincial tourism officer Jun Oliva said in a phone interview Tuesday.
“Being an island, our province offers a unique position. We will capitalize on our mountaineering potential. We may not compete with record heights or degrees of difficulty, but we offer a variety of enjoyable summit experiences ranging from easy to moderate and more challenging,” Oliva said.
Part of the preparation was the conduct of training and refresher courses for mountaineering tour guides who are members of the Biliran Adventure Guides Organization (BAGO). This is a requirement for them to become an accredited mountaineering guide.
The training includes mountain guiding, wilderness first aid, and an orientation on emergency procedure protocols.
The group also underwent mountain search and rescue training to make sure that they are well-equipped to ensure the safety of visitors.
Oliva said although their main goal in launching Climb Biliran is to attract tourists, it is also part of their campaign for environmental protection and preservation.
The province launched the campaign on June 14.
During the launch, at least 40 mountaineers from Albay, General Santos, Cebu, Bislig City, Bacolod, Bohol, Leyte, Samar, Northern Samar, Southern Leyte, and Biliran came to participate in the two-day invitational climb.
These mountaineers climbed the summits of Mt. Panamao, Tres Marias Mountain Range, Mt. Suiro, and the summer capital of Biliran, the Kapatagan Valley.
After their two-day climb, mountaineers provided feedback to the tourism office on some improvements that can be made, such as clearing trails and providing two-way communication radios for emergency use.
Biliran is the smallest province in Eastern Visayas, with a land area of 536.01 square kilometers and covering eight towns.
Before the launch of Climb Biliran, the province had hosted several adventure activities that were staged in its mountain ranges – the Karera Habagat in 2004, the Catamaran Challenge in 2008, and the joint La Routa and Asian Racing World Series in 2023.
“Biliran is feasible to become an adventure capital, which is an opportunity that might give us a good break,” Oliva added.
DOT 8 (Eastern Visayas) Director Karina Rosa Tiopes said identifying certain activities in a province in the region makes promotion and marketing easier.
“It’s easy to promote a place if you have an image of that place,” Tiopes told the Philippine News Agency.
The tourism department invited mountaineers from other provinces and cities to climb the summits of Biliran so they could help promote the activity to their respective mountaineering communities.
Tiopes added that this promotion would result in income for the community once more mountaineers and hikers visit the province and try climbing the mountains of Biliran and immerse themselves in its still-untouched nature.
She also thanked the climbers who joined the invitational climb for sharing their observations, which will help them improve the services provided to future guests. (PNA)
