TOURISM OPPORTUNITIES THROUGH CORAL REEF RESTORATION TECHNOLOGY
CAMIGUIN ISLAND in Mindanao is typically known for its sweet lanzones. Often overlooked, though, are other things that can make this island province more popular as a tourist destination. Camiguin offers different attractions like hot and cold springs, waterfalls, the famous sunken cemetery, centuries-old churches, volcanoes, the yearly “Lanzones Festival,” and dive sites.
A dive site that offers bright prospects is located off Barangay Cabuan in Guinsiliban, Camiguin. Seeing its potential to attract tourists, the Cabuan Community Village Coastal Tour Association (CCVCTA) collaborated with the Department of Science and Technology and the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development (DOST-PCAARRD), Sangkalikasan Producers Cooperative (SPC), and the provincial government of Camiguin to address coral degradation on the island through the government’s roll-out of the Coral Reef Restoration (asexual) Program.
The CCVCTA, an organization registered with the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), is composed of 61 members. Its main objective is to monitor and strengthen the protection and conservation of coastal and marine resources in the barangay.
The association embodies the connections that the people of Cabuan have with the sea, their spirit of volunteerism, desire to adopt progress that is environmentally sound, and reclaim their identity as a people of the sea; hence, its desire to adopt the Coral Reef Restoration (asexual) Program. Started in 2014, the Coral Reef Restoration Program rolled out coral transplantation