Ormoc mayor hopes to boost tourism thru Piña Festival

ORMOC CITY — Riding on his successful reelection bid, City Mayor Richard Gomez said his administration would make sure that the forthcoming fiesta celebration next month would be bigger and grander than last year’s.

Gomez, who won in his bid for a second term in the May 13 elections, hoped that the Piña Festival would help promote local tourism.

The city administration has allocated P22 million for its Piña Festival and other activities related to the city fiesta on June 29.

“We won’t mind spending just to make our people happy (and) one of the reasons why we have this festival is to encourage visitors to come to Ormoc,” Gomez said.

The festival, now on its third year, is named after one of the city’s most known products. The cultural festival will be held on June 23.

Records of the regional tourism office show that Ormoc had 110,024 visitors last year, generating tourist receipts of P1.11 billion.

Considering that the tourists are security-conscious, Gomez said the city would deploy around 1,200 police, soldiers and force multipliers to ensure the safety of their guests during the fiesta celebration. (Editor: Leti Boniol)