Bauko pushes P300-M Abatan- Balintaugan road to up tourism

By Gina Dizon

BAUKO, Mountain Province -- A P300 million peso  road upgrading from  Abatan to  Balitaugan shall  improve access to tourist sites including Balintaugan Airfield, a potential heritage site located at  Balintagan, Bagnen.

Bauko Mayor Abraham Akilit during a press conference on the occasion of the March 9 Begnas festival said upgrading of the  19-km road shall  boost tourism industry of the town.

The 300 million project is sourced under the  tourism road improvement convergence, a convergence program of the Departments of Tourism and Public Works and Highways.

The road to  Balintaugan shall  provide  smoother access to the historic Spanish trail then used  by  Spaniards who came via China Sea, travelled to Cervantes on to Tadian,  followed slopes of Mt Am-o to mountains of Balintaugan then to Balugan, Sagada.

Other tourist spots seen along the Abatan-Balintaugan road are Toktok Allan and four sites of  rice terraces towards  Bagnen Oriente and the much trekked Mt  Polis accommodating some 3,000 visitors a month.

Home to vegetable farming and towering mountains, Bauko has astounding sceneries  to include Bila’s interesting native pottery making.