Bolinao Plans to Transform Silaki Island into Eco-Educational Tourist Destination
BOLINAO — The local government unit (LGU) of Bolinao is setting its sights on Silaki Island, aiming to develop it into a community-based tourist destination that goes beyond conventional sightseeing to include environmental awareness and educational tours. This initiative seeks to leverage the island’s natural beauty while fostering the preservation of its aquatic environment.
According to Philippines news Agency, the tourism officer of Bolinao, in an interview with the Philippine News Agency, the project will provide tourists with a firsthand experience of the ecosystem’s intricacies, particularly focusing on the significance of giant clams.
Silaki Island, known for its heart-shaped outline, hosts thousands of giant clams within a 16-hectare section of the ocean. The proposed tourism project, dubbed “The Legacy of the Sea: A Silaki Island Community-Based Tourism Project,” is a collaborative effort between the municipal government and the University of the Philippines-Marine Science Institute (UPMSI). It was conceived by Vice Mayor Richard Celeste and aims to offer a holistic experience encompassing a giant clams tour, community immersion, a mini-museum for fossilized clams and artifacts, a center for community engagement, and trails for bird watching and nature photography.
This initiative is among the top five finalists in the Department of Tourism’s Tourism Champion Challenge (TCC), a competition designed to enhance tourism destinations through innovative project concepts. The project highlights the critical role of giant clams in the marine ecosystem, including their contribution to water filtration, habitat provision for marine species, and coral reef formation.
UPMSI has been instrumental in the care and breeding of thousands of giant clams, covering eight of the nine known species in the country. The institute has designated specific zones for leisure, study, and as a buffer to ensure the preservation of the clam habitat, with plans to implement non-intrusive infrastructure such as floating docks to minimize environmental impact.
De Guzman-Suarez emphasized the project’s potential to offer alternative livelihood opportunities to the local community, traditionally dependent on fishing. The construction of the jump-off point port, funded by the winnings from the DOT competition, is scheduled to commence in the first quarter of this year. The TCC finalists are set to receive cash prizes ranging from PHP7 million to PHP20 million, with the winners’ rankings to be announced on February 21.