Puerto Galera Mayor Rocky Ilagan expressed gratitude to the Department of Tourism for paying a special visit to the town.
Ilagan joined DOT Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco and other officials in a dive activity.
According to the mayor, Frasco is the first tourism chief to set foot in Puerto Galera since 2003.
“For us dito sa bayan ng Puerto Galera, we are grateful na dumating ang Tourism Secretary.”
“For us dito sa bayan ng Puerto Galera, we are grateful na dumating ang Tourism Secretary. Maraming salamat din sa ating Regional Director ng DOT, kay Usec. na nandito rin ngayon, ‘di ko maipaliwanag kung gaano kami kasaya after so many years,” he said.
In a media interview, the tourism chief said while the town is still oil slick free, there are now at least 64 tourist attractions that have been affected by the oil spill from the sunken tanker thousands of tourism workers have been affected, thus the visit.
“Andito po ‘yung gobyerno para tumulong sa ating mga affected tourism workers in other parts of Mindoro.”
“It’s very important for us to be able to balance the need to manage the crisis and the need to ensure that livelihood and employment continues and that is why andito po tayo para po mabigyan naman po ng support yung ating local government units, yung ating mga tourism workers na hindi po sila nag-iisa at saka yung fear po siguro na other people may have in their minds because of the oil spill should be dissipated by the fact na patuloy po yung ating tourism offerings dito sa Puerto Galera on one hand and on the other hand, andito po ‘yung gobyerno para tumulong sa ating mga affected tourism workers in other parts of Mindoro,” she said.
Apart from its white beach, Puerto Galera is famous for its scuba diving spots offering diving veterans and even enthusiasts a diverse view of the underneath, combining an impressive view of shipwrecks, corals, and other marine life.
Puerto Galera’s local economy is heavily reliant on tourism.
Local tourism data also showed that total tourist departure from April 3 to 10, 2023 was 17,776.
