Leyte geothermal field to be cited as tourist spot in Spain
By Joey A. Gabieta
Visayas Bureau
First Posted 21:03:00 05/18/2008
TACLOBAN CITY, Philippines--The geothermal field of Tongonan, Leyte will be among the country's "natural wonders" that will be showcased in June's international exposition in Spain.
Susana Del Mundo, deputy commissioner general of the Philippine Organizing Committee of the Expo Zaragoza 2008, said they decided to showcase Tongonan as it could become a tourist attraction in Leyte.
The geothermal field in Tonongan, a village which straddles Kananga town and Ormoc City, is the main source of power of Eastern Visayas and also supplies energy to both the Visayas and Luzon grids.
It is the largest wet steam production field in the world and second to the United States as source of geothermal energy.
"This is a very good [tourism] showcase which Leyte and the entire Region 8 (Eastern Visayas) can be proud of," said Del Mundo, who visited Tongonan last week.
Aside from the geothermal field complex in Tongonan, other natural wonders in the country will also be featured in the international exposition that will be held in Zaragoza City, Spain from June 14 to Sept. 14. Among them are the Tubbataha Reef in Palawan; Batanes; Donsol, Sorsogon; Bohol; and the Rice Terraces in Ifugao.
All these would be showcased through an audio-visual presentation, Del Mundo said.
The International Exposition in Zaragoza, Spain, will be participated in by 110 countries with an estimated six million visitors during its entire 93-day run, according to Del Mundo.
She said said this could be a good opportunity for the country to entice tourists, particularly Europeans, to come to the Philippines.
Europeans accounted for only a fraction of the country's tourist arrivals, Del Mundo said.
The Philippines, which was ruled for 300 years by Spain, formally established diplomatic relations with its former ruler on Sept. 27, 1947 that resulted in several agreements and visits by their respective leaders. President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo made a state visit to Spain in June 2006.
About 50,000 Filipinos at present live and work in Spain, one of the most economically developed countries in Europe.
Del Mundo said a group of Spanish journalists have been invited to the country to see for themselves the sites listed by the Department of Tourism for the international exposition.
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