Tourists flocking La Presa in Tuba, Benguet

By Susan Aro

TUBA, Benguet – Tourists are still flocking Sitio La Presa here, the fictional place in the teleserye Forevermore.

La Presa is actually  Sitio  Pungayan in  Mount Cabuyao, Poblacion in this rustic town.   

The place is now a popular destination among  tourists who want to see the shooting location of the teleserye or to see hopefully  the actors around. 

Provincial government workers are now being urged to promote La Presa, among other tourist spots after Gov. Nestor Fongwan said they should take the lead in “promoting own pride of place” as tourist destinations in time for ASEAN or Association of Southeast Asian Nations integration.

This is in line with Visit Philippines Year 2015 of Department of Tourism’s “It’s More Fun in the Philippines” program in promoting the country’s tourist destinations.

The new promotional campaign has five banner themes namely business meetings, history and culture, lifestyle and entertainment, music and arts, and sports, adventure and eco-tourism.

Following the regional launching, the provincial government launched it locally to raise awareness among provincial capitol employees. According to Provincial Tourism Operations Officer Clarita Prudencio.instead of usual lakbay aral in other places, appreciation on where and what to visit locally is what the provincial government is promoting.

Prudencio said Fongwan would like employees to focus on  boosting the province’s tourism industry.

Everybody in his or her own place is a tour guide is the ultimate aim of the local tourism promotional program.

The provincial government is engaging  employees to experience and join tourism events.

They are given the option to choose what suits their interest scheduled in batches, Prudencio said.

As local government employees, they should be the first to know and promote places of interest and other related events and know basic information such as exact location, distance and other frequently asked questions, Prudencio added.