Bataan mayor eyes SME’s to invest in Mt. Samat

PILAR, Bataan – Mayor Alice D. Pizarro of this town is eyeing small and medium entrepreneurs (SME’s) to participate in the development of Mt. Samat in the upland village of Liyang to a world-class class war memorial shrine and premier tourist hub in the country.

Ms. Pizarro hinted thousands of foreign and local visitors from Metro Manila mostly-relatives of World-War ll veterans have been prodding the local officials to put up infrastructure facilities, museum, hotels, restaurants and other amenities for them to stay longer after attending the yearly observance of Araw ng Kagitingan on April 9.

The master development plan of Mt. Samat which is a flagship program of the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA), the second after Luneta Park in Manila is expected to transform the shrine into a major tourist spot with the best option for local and foreign stakeholders, Ms. Pizarro explained yesterday.

As a tourism graduate from the University of the Philippines, Ms. Pizarro has observed many foreign tourists are likewise interested to learn the historical and cultural heritage of the places they have visited in addition to the panoramic vista or plain leisure trips.

She noted that long-term foreign and local investment inflows are being prioritized to expanding tourism business prospects with the influx of tourists in the country for the past decades which would benefit Mt. Samat.

She said the new planned tourism attractions include mixed-use commercial structures with restaurants, bars, retail souvenir shops, offices, hotels and residential units; additional outdoor sculptures, relics and installation shrines and locator sites; outdoor amphitheatre and performance stage as well as spas and health and wellness centers.

Ms. Pizarro cited several activities to offer to visitors like guided tours to other tourist and historical spots in the province and sightseeing of the vast rainforest, unspoiled beaches and hiking and camping activities.