DOT Promotes Siargao Tourist Destinations Despite Martial Law

Department of Tourism (DOT) spokesperson and Assistant Secretary Frederick Alegre recently branded Siargao as a perfect haven for tourists in Mindanao.

Alegre said that Siargao has rapidly become the sought-after paradise, especially that the flights to the island from Manila and Cebu, vice versa, are now on a daily basis.

“While the conflict in Mindanao is confined only in Marawi City, the region still has other areas to offer tourists like Siargao and Davao,” he added.

On her part, Governor Sol F. Matugas gave her word that it is safe for both domestic and foreign investors to transact official tourism-related business in Siargao in the face of the martial law imposition in Mindanao by Pres. Rodrigo Duterte, which was extended up to December 31 of this year.

Cloud 9 Beach in General Luna, Siargao has been ranked as the fifth best surfing spot in the world, by Conde Nast Traveler, an international travel magazine.

“While certainly not the only must-catch wave in the area, surfers have been chasing down Cloud Nine’s hollow tube waves since the 1980’s,” Conde Nast Travel said.

Jacking Horse which is also situated in Siargao was also cited by the international magazine as an alternative surfing mecca.

Cloud Nine is now universally-acclaimed to be in the league of the top surfing centers on the planet like Bondi Beach in Australia; Les Cavaliers in France; and Huntington Beach and Mavericks Beach, both in California.

Also included were Nazare in Portugal; Playa Grande in Costa Rica; Pipeline, Oahu in Hawaii; Jeffrey’s Bay in South Africa; and Tofino, Vancouver Island in Canada. (John Glenn A. Platil, PGO-SDN/PIA-Surigao del Norte)