Paoay Lake seen as venue for int'l rowing tournaments

PAOAY, Ilocos Norte - The majestic Paoay Lake in Ilocos Norte, following its declaration as a national park, was cited as an excellent and perfect venue for rowing competitions and training.

Benjamin Ramos, Jr., the President of the Philippine Rowing Association, said “the lake is one of the best locations in the country for rowing competitions because of its scenic view, its clean environment and calm water.” Ramos attended the First Paoay Invitational Regatta tournament on Jan. 31 to Feb. 2, joined in by the sport rowers from Hongkong and the members of the Philippine team.

The invitational regatta tournament, a joint initiative by Governor Imee Marcos and Paoay Mayor Dolores Clemente with the support of Hong Kong Royal Yatch Club and Manila Boat Club, is part of the continuing activity of the rowers in Southeast Asia in preparation for bigger international events.

To boost the local rowing sports scene, the Paoay Boat Club was organized composed mainly of newly trained local rowers in Ilocos Norte as members.

“It is really a perfect place for rowing. The water is calm and not tidy which what rowers want and really looking forward,” Ramos said.

Paoay Lake is a promising site for water events because aside from its scenic view and calm waters, it also meets the international standard to be a rowing venue, Ramos added. “The lake is really good for rowing competitions and will be one of the best training sites in the country, because basically it meets more than the international standard. It has the length of more than 200 meters and can provide at least 6 lanes for boats.”

Compared to La Mesa Eco Dam and Pasig River, Paoay Lake  supposedly has more advantages as a rowing site.

“As we know, Pasig River is not that clean anymore, La Mesa Dam is already a place for conserving water, so we think Paoay Lake is the best place to hold regattas in the country. It is not polluted and allows participants to row easily”, he added.

After the first International Regatta in 2013, Paoay Lake has invited more rowing organizations to hold elite water sports in Ilocos Norte. In January 2013, it was inaugurated as a new-found venue for rowers when it was chosen as the venue for the 71st AREA-FEARA International Regatta labeled as the 1st International Paoay Regatta.

Spanning 387 hectares of clear and calm waters located a few kilometers south of Laoag City, Paoay Lake is a host to diverse biodiversity and some migratory birds including the Great Cormorants.

Its mystic legend and scenic view qualified it to be one of the frontline tourist attractions in Ilocos Norte’s provincial tourism campaign, Paoay Kumakaway.