Beach resorts in quake-hit Sarangani town gradually reopen

GLAN, Sarangani – Nearly a month after a powerful magnitude 7.8 earthquake devastated this town, several beach resorts have been allowed to resume operations, offering hundreds of displaced tourism industry workers fresh livelihood lifelines and delighting tourists.

Glan, Sarangani’s major tourist destination famous for its powdery white sand beaches, employed at least 600 tourism workers before the devastating June 8 tremblor shut down beach resort operations and downstream industries.

READ: Quake-hit Davao Occidental shuts tourism sites

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The quake triggered coastal uplifts that altered the coastlines, raising the seabed by about two meters with some coastal areas receding by 200 meters from the shoreline.

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Cirilo Lagnason Jr., protected area superintendent of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources’ Sarangani Bay Protected Seascape, clarified that while several resorts have reopened, areas directly affected by coastal uplift remain off-limits until declared safe by concerned government agencies.Lagnason said about 373 hectares across five coastal villages—Pangyan, Small Margus, Big Margus, Batulaki and San Jose—were affected by the coastal uplift caused by the earthquake.Environmental damage to seagrass beds and coral reefs in the affected areas has been estimated at P45 billion, according to him.He said warning signs have already been installed in affected sites to prevent public access while scientific assessments are ongoing.Rhoa Wadingan, Glan tourism officer, confirmed on Saturday that about a third of the town’s 54 beach resorts have reopened and started accepting bookings and guests.

She said the resorts were allowed to resume operations only after passing strict structural safety inspections conducted by local engineers to ensure they are safe for tourists.Among the initial establishments cleared to reopen were five resorts in Barangay Taluya, four in Barangay Gumasa – home of the annual Sarangani Bay (SarBay) Festival – three in Barangay Cablalan, and one resort each in the villages of Kapatan, Lago, Tango and Pangyan.

Wadingan said more resorts, particularly those accredited by the Department of Tourism that sustained heavier structural damage, are expected to reopen before the end of July once rehabilitation work is completed and after securing necessary clearances.For resort operators, the reopening offers hope after weeks of lost income.Clyde Lopez, owner and manager of Glan Whitesand Beach Resort in Barangay Kapatan, said the earthquake forced the cancellation of numerous bookings and temporarily halted the resort’s operations.Now that the establishment has been cleared to reopen, Lopez said guests are gradually returning.“We’ve started receiving reservations again, and we’ve had some walk-in guests, but it’s still far from our usual occupancy,” he said in Filipino. “Some visitors remain hesitant because of reports about aftershocks.”The Provincial Government of Sarangani said public safety remains its top priority, but stressed that the reopening of resorts is also crucial to restoring the livelihoods of workers dependent on the tourism industry, one of Glan’s major economic drivers.Despite lingering concerns, some tourists have begun returning.Agaton Virador, from Davao City who recently visited Glan with his family, said they found conditions to be generally safe and were reassured by the preparedness measures implemented by resort operators. /jpv

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